STONE - David and Mary Conley have been living a fairy tale since their appearance on the most recent season of the CBS reality show Amazing Race. Though they did not win the race, they did win the admiration of people who follow the show, including The View co-host Rosie O'Donnell.

Now it seems that the coal miner and homemaker will get another chance at $1 million as they are reported to be competing in the Amazing Race All-Stars.

According to realitytvworld.com and Daily Variety Magazine, CBS has confirmed that the next edition of the show will be an all-star edition, is now being filmed and will air in February 2007. However, CBS has not confirmed which teams from the 10 past seasons will return to compete in the new race.

Yesterday, David Conley's stepmother, Mattie Conley, said the couple left Nov. 15 to film the all-star edition. However, she said that no one in the Conley family knows where David and Mary are or how they are fairing in the latest competition.

Mattie Conley said that the couple are only allowed to contact the person with whom their three children are staying while they are away. She said that although the kids stayed with her and their grandfather during David and Mary's original stint on the Amazing Race, they are now staying with Mary's sister while they are filming the all-star edition. When they call to check on the children, Mattie Conley said David and Mary are only allowed to say that they are doing well. They cannot disclose their location nor can they say whether or not they are still competing in the race.

Mattie Conley said David and Mary are expected to be back home before Christmas

For all of its success over the past six seasons, CBS has been unable to grab the industry's brass ring. But this could be its year.Once an afterthought when it came to the key demo races, the Eye web -- the runaway leader in overall viewership -- has become much more competitive in the categories that matter most.

Net has done a good job of shedding its "geezer" tag, but its core aud remains adults 35-64. Still, it attracts enough of the 35-49 segment to make it a force in the 18-49 category that advertisers crave.

Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117956837.html?categoryid=14&cs=1)CBS is tied with ABC for the 18-49 lead at midseason, and although it lacks a real watercooler skein, its lineup is about as solid as can be.

And CBS has an ace up its sleeve with the Super Bowl, which will give it the

lead in early February. Whether it holds on may depend on how well its new shows perform and what tweaks rivals ABC and Fox make down the stretch.

Here's a closer look at CBS:

What sizzled: It hasn't been the best year for Eye rookies, but small-town post-apocalypse drama "Jericho" has performed pretty well in Wednesday's leadoff hour, improving on the performance of comedies in the hour a year ago.

It's also the lone serialized CBS drama, as the net looks to diversify beyond its deep stable of crime procedurals. As such, it has generated more Internet buzz than just about any CBS show.

Another rookie with promise is Thursday legal/ crime drama "Shark," which has held on to a respectable chunk of its "CSI" lead-in. The Eye would like to see "Shark" grow in coming months, but its consistent early performance rightfully earned it a full-season order.

Where the net has excelled most is in its sophomore class.

"Criminal Minds," "Ghost Whisperer" and "Close to Home" are all up over their frosh campaigns of a year ago, and second-year laffer "How I Met Your Mother" is gaining buzz.

Also getting traction has been Sunday, where the relocated trio of "The Amazing Race," "Cold Case" and "Without a Trace" has lifted the net by nearly 10% year-to-year.

Overall, CBS has six of television's top 20 programs among adults 18-49, including all three editions of "CSI," reality vet "Survivor" and the top-rated sitcom in "Two and a Half Men."

What fizzled: Net tried to take its crime success a step further with the serialized skein "Smith," but the Ray Liotta-fronted heist drama failed to excite viewers from the outset. It was gone within a month of its September premiere.

Its replacement, the medical drama "3 Lbs.," also lasted only a few weeks, as Tuesday at 10 remains one of the few vexing hours for the net.

And while it's not fair to place "The Class" in this category, the net clearly was hoping the comedy from the creators of "Friends" and "Mad About You" would click with young auds. It has performed OK, but needs to pick it up a notch to earn a sophomore season.

What's ahead: Net has high hopes for David Spade laffer "Rules of Engagement," which would seem to be a better match with the oft-bawdy "Two and a Half Men" than current slot occupant "Old Christine." It won't be easy going up against the second half-hour of hit dramas "24" and "Heroes," but expect a big promo push during the Super Bowl.

Then there's the unscripted "Armed & Famous," in which familiar faces (including Erik Estrada and Latoya Jackson) undergo training to become cops in Indiana. Yes, CBS has found a way to do a crime reality series.

It's a shot at something different, but it doesn't figure to pay off in the Nielsens.

Also ahead is the series finale for unsung vet laffer "King of Queens," which should provide a ratings spark in May.

Looking beyond this season, net could use a relationship skein or anything where people -- and not the process -- drive the storytelling. CBS has been hitting the same note when it comes to dramas, and auds eventually will tire of all crime, all the time.

Biggest question marks: It will be interesting to see how the net's unscripted staples -- "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" -- fare in their second editions of the season. "Survivor" remains a slot winner but is increasingly vulnerable, while the all-star edition of "Race" will face additional reality competition on Sundays from NBC's "Grease."

Wednesday also could be key, both to see how "Jericho" returns after a lengthy layoff, and how current 10 o'clock leader "CSI: NY" is affected by the arrival of ABC's "Lost" in its new timeslot.

Bottom line: It's not flashy, but CBS is sturdy -- and it has as good a shot at winning the demo title as anyone.

01.16.2007 CBS ANNOUNCES THE CAST OF "THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS" ELEVEN FORMER TEAMS RETURN FOR A SECOND CHANCE TO COMPETE IN A RACE AROUND THE WORLD WHEN "THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS" PREMIERES SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18 ON CBS

"28 Days, Five Continents, More than 45,000 miles"

Click Here For a Special Sneak Peek at the Teams Who Make up the All-Star Edition (http://www.cbsmediagroup.com/107/AmazingRace/AmazraceAllStarsFeature1-12.wmv)

Eleven former teams will return to compete in a Race around the world on THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS. The 11th installment of the four-time Emmy Award-winning series hosted by Phil Keoghan, will premiere Sunday, Feb. 18 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS will reunite some of the most memorable, entertaining and controversial Teams from previous seasons, who will travel more than 45,000 miles, spanning five continents in 28 days, with stops in such locations as Argentina, Mozambique and Chile, to name a few. These former teams will pair up for one final trek around the globe as they battle the best of the best in a Race to the Finish Line for their second attempt at the million dollar prize.

These fierce competitors are no longer strangers to the game or to each other and relationships will be tested at every point along the way. Teams will be forced to choose between pre-existing relationships and the spirit of competition. Will new alliances form and will old bonds be broken?

Meet the Teams for THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS (listed in no particular order):

Kevin O'Connor and Drew Feinberg (SEASON 1)

Relationship: Lifelong Friends

Hometown: Kevin (Bayonne, N.J.); Drew (Staten Island, N.Y.)

Age: Kevin (40); Drew (41)

Occupation: Kevin (Forensic Accountant); Drew (Senior Court Officer)

Results from Season 1: 4th Place

America's favorite fraternity brothers are all grown up and married. They fell just short of the million dollars the first time around and are eager for another shot Ozwald Mendez and Danilo Jimenez (Danny) (SEASON 2)

Relationships: Best Friends

Hometown: Ozwald (New York, N.Y.); Danny (Miami, Fla.)

Age: Ozwald (36); Danny (41)

Occupation: Ozwald (Advertising); Danny (Paralegal)

Results from Season 2: 4th Place

These best friends from Season 2 had a falling out several years ago, but have since mended their relationship and claim to be better friends now than they've ever been during their previous 12 years of friendship.

Uchenna and Joyce are one of the most beloved teams from any season of Race. The winners of Season 7, Uchenna and Joyce were relentless and stopped at nothing to win the $1 million prize... including shaving their heads.

Everybody's favorite coal miner and his wife are back for another trek around the world. David and Mary, the lovable, wide-eyed couple from Stone, Ky. are ready to compete and believe they have what it takes to bring home the $1 million prize for their children.

America's Sweethearts met, fell in love and got married...all in front of the cameras, beginning with the filming of Survivor: All-Stars, where Rob finished in second place to Amber. They finished as the runners-up to Joyce and Uchenna in Season 7. To what lengths will Rob and Amber go to avoid finishing as the runner-up yet again?

Second place in Season 3 just wasn't good enough for this dynamic duo. Teri and Ian are still the oldest players to ever finish in second place in the Amazing Race and they are back to show that they haven't lost a step.

This unique duo met while racing against each other during Season 9. During their travels, they developed a bond which evolved into a romance and the two have been dating for the past year. Will the combination of big-city girl and self-proclaimed "beach bum" be a force to reckon with or will the other Teams discount this new pair who has never raced together as Team?

These former Beauty Queens are back for a second chance and are more determined than ever to prove to the world that they aren't just pretty faces. Proven to be fierce competitors during the 10th installment of Race, Dustin and Kandice are focused and have their sights set on becoming the first all-female team to win the $1 million prize.

THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS features 11 Teams of two on a trek around the world for approximately 30 days. At every destination, each Team will compete in a series of challenges -- some mental and some physical -- and only when the tasks have been completed will they learn their next destination. Teams who are farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the contest progresses, with the first Team to arrive at the final destination winning $1 million.

Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster, Jonathan Littman and Hayma Screech Washington are the executive producers for Bruckheimer Television and Earthview Inc., in association with Touchstone Television and Amazing Race Productions. THE AMAZING RACE was created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri.

GREAT interview with Bertram! (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20008885,00.html)

Contains location/team strategy/rule change info!

And best of all:

Quote

Are there plans for another Amazing Race, or is this the last?You know, it's up to CBS if they want to do another one. We've done very well with the show; last season we did very, very well. We expect to have really good ratings on this one, too.

That's not a yes, of course, but it isn't a no either....more like CBS hasn't made up their minds yet!

GREAT interview with Bertram! (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20008885,00.html)

Contains location/team strategy/rule change info!

And best of all:

Quote

Are there plans for another Amazing Race, or is this the last?You know, it's up to CBS if they want to do another one. We've done very well with the show; last season we did very, very well. We expect to have really good ratings on this one, too.

That's not a yes, of course, but it isn't a no either....more like CBS hasn't made up their minds yet!

I shudder to think of the alternative but I got nervous when ChipA on the racers blogs talked about that this might be the last season--and then BJ seemed to confirm (although I don't trust his info very much).

So fingers and toes crossed that you are right! :kissy: What would we do without TAR? :(

I shudder to think of the alternative but I got nervous when ChipA on the racers blogs talked about that this might be the last season--and then BJ seemed to confirm (although I don't trust his info very much).

So fingers and toes crossed that you are right! :kissy: What would we do without TAR? :(

ChipA was just telling people to email cbs and such so we actually can see more TAR'S. BJ is just a sourpuss because he was not chosen, and in the EW artical Bert basically talks smack about him as you saw, when saying he complained about not being chosen, have faith peach, it will all work out in the end. it just takes longer for tar than survivor to get renewed.

damm ill be watching something else at that time you know the biggest game the chicago bears will be playing in 21 years :lol: :lol: and a place to grab any tar promo's :lol: i hope they reair it :lol:

damm ill be watching something else at that time you know the biggest game the chicago bears will be playing in 21 years :lol: :lol: and a place to grab any tar promo's :lol: i hope they reair it :lol:

Congrats Kogs. :yess: :jam: :jam: That's where I'll be and I hope we have as an exciting game as the two from Sunday. I told puddin that I dozed off after the awesome Bears win and slept through most of the first half of the Pats/Colts. I woke up to 21-3 and got SICK :groan: . Was rooting Bears/Colts all the way.

Quick question...I was wondering if the insider clips for TAR10 weren't working for anyone else? I wanted to see some of them again but only the All Star ones current work, the ones from last season after a while always say theres something wrong with the connection.

Marly heres all the insider clips from season 10, not sure what your looking for or if they still work? and as far as youtube...Banzai had all insider clips slips :lol: on youtube but I just checked and his videos are gone :(

Now that you mention it, it's a little strange that TAR odds haven't been posted yet. Over at Bodog (http://www.bodog.com/sports-betting/tv-film-movie-props.jsp) you can get Apprentice and AI bets, Oscar and Razzie bets, you can even bet on who's the father of the indestructible cheerleader :lol: ; but no TARAS odds.

I think the betting site odds come up once the first show airs ???Sportsbook (http://sportsbook.com/livesports/indexmember.php) had odds for last season but it disappeared..fwiw sportsbooks current "exotics" odds.

I don't remember seeing an icefield like this before. The lagoon in Iceland looked different. Could it be the Alaska part of TAR2? I don't have that on video. The URL, fwiw:http://www.axnasia.com/displays/images/200702/tar-allstars-512k.flv

I wiped my pc clean and had to find the player (http://www.simtel.net/product.download.mirrors.php?id=95201) Slowhatch :lol: YAY it works!!

NO, no virus's for me ..I'm pretty good at keeping all that junk updated. Last year when I wiped clean we think we messed up not installing the flash or java? something? videos weren't playing right and my hard drive sounded like their was a train coming through :lol: ! All is fine now except I can't talk my other half into "Windows Vista" !! I might have to wait on that untill next year :innocent:One more vidcap I thought may ot may not be something? I know they have been to Florida before so...

Quote:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Crap. They deleted 3 of my videos for copyright infringement against Sony Entertainment and told me that I should remove all videos that violate the copyright law or I might face legal action...--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight at 11 PM (EST) on the TV Guide Channel (http://www.tvguide.com/detail/tv-show.aspx?tvobjectid=279449&more=ucepisodelist&episodeid=6302980), Reality Chat is scheduled to have Bertram and Elise on.

I just watched the Bertrand and Elise show on the TV Guide Channel (thank you, Peach!). Nothing new or different except that Betrand refers to Ushuaia as "the southernmost point in South America." I suprised to learn that he failed geography! It is Cape Horn if the islands south of Ushuaia are considered (which obviously they should be) and a point in the Tierra del Fuego National Park if not. AR11 does go to Tierra del Fuego National Park, but I am disappointed to now conclude that Cape Horn is highly unlikely. Elise also referred to the pit stops as designed to be "primitive" in an attempt to throw the teams off balance.

Betram and Elise looked great--talked about how they never thought this would be as suceessful as it is--Bertram said he thought it would be a one shot deal.

Only teams mentioned: E/D ("they actually moved in together" and romance born on the flight from Sao Paulo") M/C ("Charla is at no disadvantage--she is as strong as most of the guys") The Guidos ("they are 6 years older and still look the same") But heee...the host called them the Gutsy Grannies?!

Locations: "We go to very primitive places--the southernmost tip of Chile to Ushuaia (couldn't he have said Antactica and put me out of my misery?!) and Mozambique" and that was pretty much it!

anyway just watched Bert & Elise and the video they showed was stuff we already saw of the teams on pelican harbor whatever .. he only gave away Chile ,ushuaia and mozambique for locations ..no mention of going to Antartica. I think thats our route.

Host: so tell us whats new this season, I heard its suppose to be more primitive ..what does that mean? No showering or shaving?

Bert:Well thats for openers ..yeah we make it hard it because obviously they all expect to go around the world and they know exactly how to do it but, guess what they don'tThey don't know how to do it because we changed it again and we took them to very very primitive places.

Host: like..?

Bert: uhh we went to Chile and down all the way to the southern point of the Americas in ushuaia which is a couple hundred miles from the South pole and we were in a place likeMozambique Africa which is also very very primitive and uh..

Host: so they had to fend for themselves a little bit?

Bert: very much so yeah ..it wasn't easy at all

yadda yadda the host asks him if theres any place he'd like to go and Bert answers " the amalfi coast "

The host was confused and thought there were only 3 teams ( she was holding a card ) ..Bert & Elise corrected her. the three teams on the hosts list appeared to be Eric/ Dee ( played up their HOT & HEAVY romance ) , The Guidos .. Elise says they still have some tricks up their sleeves and then Charla & Mirna, Elise says Charla is stronger then most of the men and feisty.

I wrote a post about van Munster last night and I noted his incompetence about geography. Seeing the text as displayed by PUDDIN, it is even clearer. No, Bertrand, the South Pole is not "hundreds of miles from Ushuaia." The South Pole at 90.0 degrees South is in fact 2000 miles south of King George Island at 62 degrees south and 58 to 59 degrees west(why was it so hard to get to the South Pole?; the explorers starting a couple hundred miles closer still had about 1500 miles of the worst weather on the planet to contend with). From King George Island there is still about 700 miles to go before reaching Ushuaia at 55 degrees South and 71 degrees west. If you drew a straight line from the South Pole to Ushuaia it would still be over 2600 miles. Take some geography classes, Bertrand!

We didn't have a season 10 vidcap thread :lol: ...you can go through the archives or help yourself to my photobucket (http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR10/) which is somewhat organized.

FREQUENT FLIERS' RERUN'AMAZING RACE' BRINGS BACK ALL-STARSBy DEBORAH STARR SEIBELFebruary 11, 2007 -- When host Phil Keoghan first heard the concept for the upcoming installment of "The Amazing Race," he thought it was a terrible idea. "The Amazing Race: All-Stars"? No way. That kind of "Where Are They Now?" grab bag of old contestants was for shows like "Survivor," where deprivation on a deserted island doesn't get any easier with experience. But with "Race," reasoned Keoghan, "the appeal of the show is that we've always had fresh faces, people who have never traveled the world going out and experiencing things for the first time. I thought if the same teams came back, they'd be a bit jaded and more blasé about the whole thing."

But what Keoghan hadn't counted on, he says, was how entertaining it would be to watch these 11 teams try to travel smarter. The contestants aren't all winners from the show previous 10 installments. In fact, only one team, Uchenna and Joyce, actually grabbed the million bucks, in season seven. But they're some of the intrepid globe-trotters viewers loved and hated the most: David and Mary, the Kentucky coalminers (season 10). Rob and Amber, the inescapable reality show lovebirds (season seven). Charla (the little person) and Mirna, the cousins who wouldn't let size dictate their ability to hang tough (season five).

The question quickly became: Could these teams improve on their past performance and out-strategize teams they had watched from home? Or was everybody destined to make the same mistakes all over again?

"It's not like people have gone through a whole personality change," says Keoghan. But there are differences. In Keoghan's mind, lifelong friends Kevin O'Connor (40, an accountant from Bayonne, N.J.) and Drew Feinberg (41, a court officer from Staten Island), are the most changed. They were part of the very first Race in 2001.

"Time has passed," says Keoghan. "They're married. And they're older. So it's more difficult for them to get around, physically."

But it isn't a cakewalk for anybody. It's still 28 days, five continents and more than 45,000 miles. And the strategizing can only get you so far. "In the end," says Keoghan, "the race can still knock you out."

02.13.2007 ***MEDIA ADVISORY CONFERENCE CALL*** BERTRAM VAN MUNSTER TO TALK ABOUT "THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS" ON A MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, FEB. 13, AT 2:00 PM, ET/11:00 AM, PT Bertram van Munster, co-creator and executive producer of the four time Emmy Award-winning series THE AMAZING RACE, will conduct a media conference call on Tuesday, February 13 at 2:00 PM, ET/11:00 AM, PT to talk about THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS, the 11TH installment of the series. THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS will premiere Sunday, Feb. 18 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Well the snow has its plus's when you have kids in school! School was cancelled and I got all my errands done today so I don't have to leave the house tomorrow and can spend more time here because I think we're in for some Amazing Goodies!! :happy:

We haven't changed the rules or the format of the show. That always stays the same," van Munster, The Amazing Race's co-creator and executive producer, told reporters during a conference call on Tuesday. "It's just where we take them and the challenges we put them through [that changes]. The time it takes to do these things [determines] how people are going to react on camera."

Seven of the series' ten previous editions will be represented in the all-stars competition, with the show's first, third, seventh, and tenth editions each landing two The Amazing Race: All-Stars teams. While the prize remains the same -- with the winning team receiving $1,000,000 -- van Munster said the difficulty has increased.

We always do more difficult terrain, territories, cities and countries," said van Munster. "So that makes it physically very exhausting, and as a result of that, it puts a lot of pressure on your psyche also."

For The Amazing Race: All-Stars, van Munster said a leg of the competition will take teams through Equador, into the deserts of northern Chile, and then down through the southern part of the South American country. The teams will eventually find themselves in Ushauia -- which van Munster described as the "southern most tip of the Americas" -- placing them only a short plane ride away from the South Pole. "The globe is always on our radar," he said. "It's really an extraordinary place."

When mapping the course for All-Stars van Munster said he and his wife, co-creator Elise Dogantieri, never lost sight of who would be competing. "What we have done in the creation of the race -- of course we made it very hard for people -- particularly for veterans like [The Amazing Race 7 second-place finishers] Rob and Amber [Mariano]. It's not easy to win a race like this because it was an all-star [edition]. It was no cake-walk for them by any means."

Joining Rob and Amber will be Season 1 third-place finishers Joe Baldassare and Bill Bartek as well as fourth-place finishers Kevin O'Connor and Drew Feinberg; Season 2 fourth-place finishers Ozwald Mendez and Danilo Jimenez; Season 3 second-place finishers Teri and Ian Pollack as well as fifth-place finishers John Vito Pietanza and Jill Aquilino; Season 5 sixth-place finishers Charla Baklayan Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan; Season 7 winners Uchenna and Joyce Agu; Season 10 fourth-place finishers Dustin Seltzer and Kandice Pelletier as well as sixth-place finishers David Jr. and Mary Conley; and finally, two people who competed against each other on different teams during Season 9 -- Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner.

"They are reality stars, they know how to do this kind of stuff. So for us it was really an opportunity to change the race and make it hard for them... and hard it was," said van Munster. "These places [they're traveling to] are very unique and difficult to operate in. You don't want to just do a rehash of what we've done and everybody knows [what to expect]. Of course we had to make it hard for them. They were a specially select group -- very strong competitiors all of them -- and obviously they deserve to have it a little harder."

While casting The Amazing Race: All-Stars, van Munster said finding "strong competitiors" from previous seasons was a key criteria. "Look, it's not easy to make a choice out of 220 or 230 previous competitors because we put a lot of time of time and effort and intensity in getting all these people," said van Munster. "It's a difficult choice to cast an all-star [edition]. But we felt all very strongly as a group that this was the way to go."

The only previous winners featured on All-Stars will be Uchenna and Joyce, and van Munster was quick to point-out that he doesn't think that gives them an advantage. "All the stuff they learned in the previous race did not necessarily mean anything," he said. "I think it was an equal playing field [for All-Stars]."

CBS network officials, Dogantieri and van Munster have a "close relationship," and he said the concept of The Amazing Race: All-Stars had been "swirling around" since Season 8. "We're looking for character. The winner doesn't necessarily mean it's the most exciting person. We're strictly looking for character," said van Munster. "I hope that we picked the characters right. I think the audience might enjoy it just as much as we do. [The teams on All-Stars] really stood out in the previous races, and that was one of the motivations [for casting them]."

van Munster noted that not a single team that was asked to be part of All-Stars turned them down. "Most people would love to do this again, again and again," said van Munster. Even Amber -- who reportedly swore never to try her hand at The Amazing Race again -- came back with her husband. "It was very simple to get [Rob and Amber as part of the cast]," said van Munster. "They loved to be part of it." When the Survivor veterans first appeared on The Amazing Race 7, van Munster said he "wasn't sure about them," but it "turned out to be a stroke of brilliance."

"They came back [for All-Stars] with a whole renewed spirit," said van Munster. "This time, I was really watching them like an eagle and I think they came to the race with a fantastic spirit. And you'll see the results of it." Rob and Amber finished second to Uchenna and Joyce during Season 7 -- but van Munster said he didn't really think about that when casting both teams for All-Stars.

"I thought to have Rob and Amber in there was a really good choice. He has his character traits and she has hers. In the whole context of the other contestants, we all thought it was a very good choice," said van Munster, who added while he sensed tension between all the teams, there wasn't necessarily any between Rob and Amber and Uchenna and Joyce. "They're competitive. It's in their bones... believe me," he said. "You know the whole group ais an extremely competitive group. And you will see they will all go for it."

David and Mary were apparently "in awe" of Rob and Amber when the teams met, according to van Munster, who said "there was a fantastic sense of camaraderie."

He added that all the teams were somewhat familiar with each other and were recognized by people across the world while filming All-Stars -- especially "beauty queens" Dustin and Kandace, whose The Amazing Race 9 edition was still airing when The Amazing Race: All-Stars filmed late last year. "We were in an airport somewhere in the world," said van Munster. "And we're running through it, and somebody asked, "Weren't [Dustin and Joyce] eliminated last week?"

While recognition of all teams was a factor, van Munster assured that no team received an advatnage due to their familiar face -- soemthing that played heavily into Rob and Amber claiming second the last time they raced. "There wasn't that much time for them to get those kind of advantages this time," he said.

However it would be hard to think Danielle and Eric wouldn't be at a disadvantage since they've never raced together before. The duo met while competing against one another on Season 9, with Eric finishing second with his partner and Danielle finishing seventh with hers. Staying in touch with all the previous The Amazing Race cast members, van Munster said he was aware the two are dating, and was a little "surprised" since the only time they really had to "start a romance" was on the the plane flying across the world during Season 9.

"To some degree you could say [they're at a disadvantage having never raced together before]," said van Munster. "They're very exceptional competitors though."

Set to premiere on CBS on Sunday, February 18 at 8PM ET/PT, The Amazing Race: All-Stars is still "original," according to van Munster, despite the 11 teams having competed before.

"It's not always easy to have a real strategy because we try to throw them off all the time," said van Munster. "They feel a little safer in their environments. But you know, you go to India and you're surrounded by two billion people -- it's difficult to force your strategy through. You have to go with the flow sometimes."

February 14, 2007 Rob and Amber will face off against Uchenna and Joyce one more time when "The Amazing Race: All-Stars" premieres.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The last time AMBER and ROB MARIANO competed on "The Amazing Race," they finished in second place to JOYCE and UCHENNA AGU. But when the "All-Star" version of the series premieres Sunday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. on CBS, it is a whole new game!

"What we have done in the creation of the race [is that we have made] it very hard for people, particularly veterans like Rob and Amber," says Executive Producer and Co-Creator BERTRAM van MUNSTER. "It is not easy to win a race like this. Some people just came off 'Race 10.' [Rob and Amber] are reality stars. They know how to do this stuff. For us it was an opportunity to change the race and make it really hard for them. It was no cakewalk for them by any means."

Because it is an "All-Stars" show, the producers wanted to up the ante. They are sending the teams through more difficult terrain, making it physically and mentally very exhausting.

"We went through Ecuador and down into Chile," Van Munster says. "The northern part of Chile is all desert, and the lower part is like Switzerland. It is very remote, very beautiful, but hard to get through because of the climate changes."

Of the 11 returning teams, only Uchenna and Joyce are actual "Race" winners, a fact that neither helped them nor hindered them, in van Munster's opinion. They were selected because the producers were looking for interesting players who make for good TV.

"We really thought that Uchenna and Joyce deserved another shot," the producer explains. "The way the show ended with them, the way they handled themselves was just extraordinary and exemplary on many levels. We like them very much."

As for Rob and Amber, he says that they returned with a "renewed spirit."

"They are competitive," he says. "It is in their bones. The whole group is extremely competitive. You will see. They all go flat out."

By MICHAEL HEWITTSpecial to the RegisterWhat happens when you take a bunch of well known people and send them on a very public race around the world?

They get recognized.

That's exactly what happened to "The Amazing Race All-Stars."

When Rob & Amber and Charla & Mirna and the rest of the crew set out on their adventure last summer, "Race" fans everywhere took notice. And took pictures.

The result: the most-spoiled "Amazing Race" to date.

Viewers who prefer to find out what happens by watching the show will need to be especially cautious this season. Stay off the Web sites and watch the idle chatter or before you know it, you'll find out that Laguna Niguel's Team Guido finished … .

Nah, we won't ruin it for you here.

Of course, for those who enjoy finding things out ahead of time, the Watcher will share the information with subscribers to the weekly spoiler e-mail.

You'll also get the latest inside information on "Survivor: Fiji" and other reality shows. To subscribe, just send a note to watcher@michael-hewitt.net.

I wonder if the writer confused it with TAR10. :lol: I'd like a few more spoils. I'd especially like to throw something down in the gap that GMan mentioned between Moz and Batu. But with 3 days left, it's looking grim. Oh well...

CBS is readying an online companion to The Amazing Race, chronicling what happens to each team after it is eliminated and sequestered in a house until the winners reach the finish line. Elimination Station, on cbs.com/innertube, will be posted at midnight ET/9 p.m. PT starting Sunday, when the series' 11th edition, an all-stars contest, premieres at 8 ET/PT.

AMAZING RACE ALL STARS PREMIERE: The Amazing Race will kick off its eleventh season with an ALL STARS edition. This season, the most memorable and entertaining teams of seasons past will be back for a new adventure. The teams will race toward that million-dollar prize AGAIN in a competition spanning over 45,000 miles in just 28 days. Host of The Amazing Race Phil Keoghan will join us to talk all about this year’s exciting new season starting Sunday night 8pm ET/PT. :hearts:

I was listening to my radio and all of the sudden Phil himself came on. I was shocked! I didn't expect him to be on a small michigan radio station. But anways, he was. The interview was short, but pretty good...

-they joked about him being the Philiminator-the hosts asked why Jonathan and Victoria weren't on it. Phil seemed to sort of avoid the question and never really answered whether or not they were asked-Phil said none of the teams they asked back said no. Which doesn't seem true since apparently Kelly/Jon and Meredith/Gretchen both passed on it.-the hosts asked why Romber was back, and how sick of Romber they were. Phil said they are very conterversial and for everyone person that hates to see them back, just as many wanted them back. Said both of them are big characters-the hosts asked why they would allow winners back. Phil basically said they're getting a second chance like everyone else, but they aren't back because they were winners. They were just entertaining, etc. And that the show isn't about the best teams, but the most entertaining

the two interesting parts of the interview...

-Amazing Race producers asked Phil for a wishlist of 15 teams that he wanted to see back. 10 of the 11 teams on All-Stars were on his list of teams he wanted back. The only team he didn't have was Eric/Danielle, since they weren't a team. So he is pleased.-The hosts asked Phil about the big bulge and asked how many socks he has in there. Phil laughed it off and said he's heard about that on the internet :lol:.

B/S ..we also heard Flo passed because Zach was not asked. Thanks for posting xRyannex and welcome to the forum :hithere:

Quote

-Amazing Race producers asked Phil for a wishlist of 15 teams that he wanted to see back. 10 of the 11 teams on All-Stars were on his list of teams he wanted back. The only team he didn't have was Eric/Danielle, since they weren't a team. So he is pleased.-The hosts asked Phil about the big bulge and asked how many socks he has in there. Phil laughed it off and said he's heard about that on the internet .

By MICHAEL HEWITTSpecial to the RegisterWhat happens when you take a bunch of well known people and send them on a very public race around the world?

They get recognized.

That's exactly what happened to "The Amazing Race All-Stars."

When Rob & Amber and Charla & Mirna and the rest of the crew set out on their adventure last summer, "Race" fans everywhere took notice. And took pictures.

The result: the most-spoiled "Amazing Race" to date.

Viewers who prefer to find out what happens by watching the show will need to be especially cautious this season. Stay off the Web sites and watch the idle chatter or before you know it, you'll find out that Laguna Niguel's Team Guido finished … .

Nah, we won't ruin it for you here.

Of course, for those who enjoy finding things out ahead of time, the Watcher will share the information with subscribers to the weekly spoiler e-mail.

You'll also get the latest inside information on "Survivor: Fiji" and other reality shows. To subscribe, just send a note to watcher@michael-hewitt.net.

I wonder if the writer confused it with TAR10. :lol: I'd like a few more spoils. I'd especially like to throw something down in the gap that GMan mentioned between Moz and Batu. But with 3 days left, it's looking grim. Oh well...

Regarding 'The Amazing Race All-Stars," as promised, we have information flowing in from every corner. Now we'll find out how reliable the spoilers are.

The most certain spoiler, owing to pictures, is that the final five are Uchenna & Joyce, Danny & Oswald, Charla & Mirna, Dustin & Kandice and Eric & Danielle. That is also believed to be how they finish, IN REVERSE ORDER. The Final 3 seems reliable; the actual winner is less so.

The first three teams out are probably David & Mary, Kevin & Drew and John Vito & Jill. I think JOHN VITO & JILL leave first, but that is not certain.

Wow! I can't believe that it is Phil talking! The misstatement about Rob/Amber and Uchenna/Joyce being the only teams in AR11 to have previously competed is totally ridiculous! Phil, what about AR1 (Joe/Bill vs. Kevin/Drew), AR3 (Ian/Teri vs. John Vito/Jill), and AR10 (Dustin/Kandice vs. David/Mary)?

I thought the interviewer was flirting with Phil, their was something a little gay about it :angel:

update for Kogs:8:38 SEGMENT FOURTEEN - AMAZING RACE ALL STARS PREMIERE: The Amazing Race willkick off its eleventh season with an ALL STARS edition. This season, the mostmemorable and entertaining teams of seasons past will be back for a newadventure. The teams will race toward that million-dollar prize AGAIN in acompetition spanning over 45,000 miles in just 28 days. Host of The AmazingRace Phil Keoghan will join us to talk all about this year's exciting newseason starting Sunday night 8pm ET/PT.

"I'M SORRY TO TELL YOU?YOU'VE BOTH BEEN ELIMINATED FROM THE RACE"? NOW WHAT? "Elimination Station," Featuring A Never before Seen Look at Where the Teams from "The Amazing Race: All-Stars" Go After Being Eliminated, To Stream on CBS's innertube Starting Feb. 18 LOS ANGELES, February 15, 2007 -- See what happens when the teams from THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS are eliminated from the Race on the new web series, ELIMINATION STATION, to be streamed on innertube, CBS's broadband channel.

Each week, fans can log onto http://www.cbs.com/innertube/ to get a free look at what happens when Teams are eliminated from the Race and sent to a secluded sequester house where they must try to cope with the disappointment of being eliminated while living alongside their fellow eliminated All-Stars. All 13 webisodes of ELIMINATION STATION will appear on innertube in conjunction with the series' entire run.

ELIMINATION STATION will be streamed on CBS's innertube immediately following the West Coast broadcast of each episode of THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS. The first webisode will be streamed Sunday, Feb. 18 (9:00 PM, PT) immediately following the West Coast broadcast of the premiere of THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS on the CBS Television Network.

Well, I was out on Usenet and saw this on a post. Are y'all talking about this?

http://tinyurl.com/277qp5

It's a KMOX radio interview, the host is a HUGE fan, has seen every episode etc. Runs about 15 minutes

It was supposed to be an in-house interview but apparently the snowstorms canceled Phil's flight.

Interesting tidbit was discussed about how Phil was detained in the Ukraine during season 10. Must of been them tanks! :lol:

Mrs. Ebbles, I beg to differ. The KMOX interview at 14 minutes is a significant extended interview with Phil. It's well worth anyone's time to click on LISTEN within your link to download the actual Paul Harris phone interview with Phil. Thank you very much!

I hate to call it on such crappy-ass shadows but I am inclined to believe that Bama is after Rob & Kimberly. Bama's eve-molding shadows don't go as low as R&K's. That means the sun was lower for Bama. And I'm sure the time is past noon so lower sun means later in the day

Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race: All-Stars CBS' The Amazing Race doesn't hit the road again until this Sunday at 8 pm/ET — this time with an elite group of "all-stars" — and yet people are already buzzing about the return of Rob and Amber, and whether it is fair that one-time winners Uchenna and Joyce got invited back. When TVGuide.com asked affable host Phil Keoghan how the encores were chosen and if this season would in fact be harder than ever, we were relieved to make it through the Q&A without being Philiminated!

TVGuide.com: What made you want to do All-Stars? Phil Keoghan: To be honest with you, in the beginning, I wasn't so keen on the idea of an all-star show because people started talking about it really early on in the Race franchise, like during Season 5. Over a period of time, as we got more and more really good teams, it just seemed like it had to happen. Then the big question was, "Who would we pick?" Because after 10 seasons we just had such a great range of teams from the very fresh-faced innocent racers, from David and Mary, to the old and cunning Guidos of Season 1.

TVGuide.com: I love Team Guido. Keoghan: I would say of all the racers ever on The Amazing Race, they are the biggest fans who are ex-racers. I get e-mails from them all the time about whether they like my wardrobe, whether they like a particular eyebrow raise, if a certain team is bugging them....

TVGuide.com: Not shy at all. Keoghan: No, they aren't shy. They seemed like they had to be in [All-Stars]. I was asked to submit a list of teams, so I put forward 15 teams. Ten of those that were picked were on my list. That's a good sign. The one team I didn't pick was Eric and Danielle, because I didn't think of that new combination, which actually is a really good one.

TVGuide.com: My personal favorite team, Kevin and Drew, made it, so I'm happy. Keoghan: Really? You'll be interested to see what happens to them. They aren't exactly the same size they were before, they've got a few years on them, they are married now.... They are a lot of fun to watch, and I think you'll get a kick out of seeing what's happened to them since [Season 1].

TVGuide.com: Why'd you decide to let Uchenna and Joyce back on? They already won, and none of the other teams have. Keoghan: It is an all-star show, so it is not about who won or who did really well or if you were eliminated early. The whole premise of All-Stars wasn't to pick the best racers, otherwise we could have done all the winners and teams in the top three. The goal was to pick the teams that have earned the most attention over the last 10 seasons.

TVGuide.com: Hence Rob and Amber. Keoghan: Hence Rob and Amber. Hence Charla and Mirna. Hence Uchenna and Joyce. There has never been a more popular team that has won The Amazing Race, in my opinion, than Uchenna and Joyce.

TVGuide.com: Well, after she shaved her head and all....Keoghan: People fell in love with them. We tried to get a balance of the heroes and the antagonists, and the people who are fun. You can only imagine how difficult it was to leave out teams like the bowling moms, the clowns and the gutsy grannies, Lynn and Alex.... There are so many great teams.

TVGuide.com: I usually root for the underdogs, but since everyone has done this once, are there any true underdogs? Keoghan: There are plenty of underdogs, are you kidding?! They are on an equal footing, but then you have to balance everything else out. If you look at Uchenna, the guy has been one of the fastest sprinters in the world, he is lightning fast, and he's racing alongside someone like Charla, who isn't the fastest but has the biggest heart of anyone we've ever had on this show. That's the beauty of this race. There are people who epitomized being out of shape.

TVGuide.com: Are you talking about Kevin and Drew again?Keoghan: [Laughs] No, I'm not just talking about them. There are a few of them who are pretty out of shape. There are some others who are in extremely good shape, and some who are quite shapely.

TVGuide.com: I would think that, knowing how hard it was the first time, they would have been in training. Keoghan: But is it about physical fitness, or is it about training your mind? Or is it about being in the right place at the right time? How much difference does it make in The Amazing Race to be fit? That's what I love about the race.

TVGuide.com: Are there any fun twists that you threw in this time around? Keoghan: The twists really come from the mix of people. For David and Mary, the biggest reality fans that you could find, to be racing alongside all of their heroes, people that they love, that's part of the twist. Do they stay enamored with these people, or do they think, "We are in this race, and we're all-stars and can win this as well"?

TVGuide.com: I've been getting a little flak for saying that I like Rob and Amber and that they are totally fun to watch. Keoghan: Well, there are a lot of people who have already expressed that they are upset about them being in there. I think there would be more of an outcry if we left them out. Either way, we knew it was going to create some kind of controversy, or at least get a reaction from people. They had to be there. You can imagine that they elicit that same kind of reaction not just from fans, but from people who are actually in the race. People talk about them and what they think from the get-go.

TVGuide.com: Any alliances to look forward to? Keoghan: There are definitely some interesting dynamics. There are a lot of individual teams in there, but there are also teams that have a history of following, or forming, alliances. They've had a chance to see themselves on TV and reflect on what they did right and wrong. The question is, will they take the same approach? Will they try a new approach? You'll see it all, I promise you. We've got a great course lined up. We're hitting South America and Africa, Europe, Asia... some exotic lands. And we're wanting to push things a little harder because they've done it before. You can imagine that Rob and Amber are at the starting line saying, "We're not going to be second again," along with the fact that they are racing against Uchenna and Joyce, who beat them last time.

TVGuide.com: Did you throw in more difficult challenges? It is All-Stars after all. Keoghan: I would say that the challenges are definitely more difficult. But to be honest with you, we never take it easy on them. Every challenge that we've ever put on any show has been really designed to test people.

TVGuide.com: Are you up for another season after this? Keoghan: I hope that the show keeps going. I don't know if it is being picked up, but the ratings have continued to improve.

TVGuide.com: Any more episodes of your Discovery Channel show No Opportunity Wasted? Keoghan: Yeah, we sold the format to New Zealand and did six episodes down there. It did really well, it was the highest-rated show that they've had in that time slot on that network, ever! It is now in development in Canada, so hopefully we'll sell it all around the world.

TVGuide.com: And in all your spare time, you did animated segments with stories of yours on CBS' Innertube.Keoghan: Yeah, they're fun. Someone came up with a great idea for that content.

TVGuide.com: Much use for your reindeer-racing license?Keoghan: [Laughs] I guess if I was single, it would be a great pickup line, but it is more just something to tell my grandkids about.

TVGuide.com: Back to the Race, we here in the office just have to know how bad the racers smell when they get up to the mat.Keoghan: There are times when they've arrived at the mat having swum through a bog in Finland, or manure in Season 4.... They really don't smell so good. There are times when my eyes water from the smell, hence my reluctance to embrace them fully. I have to be selective. I've also had people who have prepared themselves with aftershave or some perfume in order to smell a little better when they arrive.

TVGuide.com: That's considerate. Keoghan: I think so!

TVGuide.com: Anything else exciting to look forward to starting Sunday? Cars breaking down? Run-ins with the law? Keoghan: Cars will break down, things will break down, and people will break down.... People will miss flights, and some interesting things beyond our control will happen. It happened to me even. Last year, I got locked up in the Ukraine in immigration. This season, I lost my bag, with my wardrobe, for five days.

TVGuide.com: So we'll see you in the same outfit for, like, three challenges? Keoghan: I had to do a little on-the-fly shopping. I always leave a spare shirt with the pit-stop captains in case my bag goes missing. God forbid I should get stinky.

TVGuide.com: I've got my fingers crossed for another season. Keoghan: I hope so. Maybe they'll be doing the show for senior citizens one day, and I'll be walking out on one of those Segways. Or maybe they'll have little hovercrafts. [In a creaky old voice] "Teams must now make their way to the moon.... "

TVGuide.com: Who knows, maybe we'll be on Mars by then. Keoghan: I'm ready for it!

"Amazing Race: All Stars" is a rematch, of sorts. A rematch of the most controversial finish in "Race" history. In 2005, Uchenna and Joyce Agu won the race (and $1 million). Rob and Amber Mariano finished second. On the last leg, Rob and Amber were on a plane taking them to their final destination. The plane pulled back, then returned to the gate for Joyce and Uchenna. If Rob and Amber had been the only ones on that plane, they could have waltzed to a victory, which wouldn't have been good TV. The producers have always denied any intervention. Someone at CBS I trust implicitly assures me that not only did the producers not intervene, but a network lawyer was on hand to make sure nothing like that happened. Still, Rob expressed some doubts. As have a lot of fans. And "Race" creator/executive producer Bertram van Munster acknowledged the incident when he talked about bringing both couples back for the all-star edition, which begins Sunday at 7 p.m. on Ch. 2. "We really thought that Uchenna and Joyce deserved another shot at this. The way the show ended with them, the way they handled themselves was just extraordinary and exemplary on many levels," he said in a conference call with TV critics. But he denied he was looking at this as a rematch. "I didn't really think about it from that perspective," van Munster said. "But I thought to have Rob and Amber was really a good choice. I mean, they're competitive people; they're a lot of fun." And, while he didn't give away details of what's to come, he did say the two teams didn't treat it as a rematch, either. "There was tension between other teams, as you will see. But not necessarily between those two," van Munster said. Joyce and Uchenna are the only winners from the previous 10 seasons of "Amazing Race" returning, but the show is loaded with familiar faces — some teams that viewers loved and some they didn't. There's friends Kevin and Drew from Season 1; friends Danny and Oswald from Season 2; John and Jill — who were dating in Season 3 but are no longer together; married couple David and Mary from Season 10; cousins Charla and Mirna from Season 5; married couple Teri and Ian from Season 3; life partners Joe and Bill (a k a "Team Guido") from Season 1; friends/beauty queens Dustin and Kandice from Season 10; and Eric and Danielle, who were on separate teams in Season 9 but are now dating. The race starts off by heading to Ecuador and Chile, and van Munster promises it will be the toughest challenge yet. Just don't try to guess who's going to win; Munster himself has never guessed right. "That's why I know this show will always be so original, because the outcome of every challenge is always different," he said. "It's the craziest thing. We have tried so many times to predict anything in this show, and when they run up to the mat, it's different from what we thought it was going to be."

When The Amazing Race returns for its 11th edition Sunday, look for Houston's Joyce and Uchenna Agu and nine other teams to experience the toughest contest in the series' history.

Already millionaire winners from the show, the Agus are the only couple of the 10 with the chance to double their money in the around-the-world race. All of the other teams were standouts for other reasons, said Bertram van Munster, creator and executive producer of the Emmy-winning series.

That means the Agus will face tougher terrains and competitions with a target on their backs.

"That's an understatement," Uchenna Agu said. "Once we found out we were the only ones (who were previous winners), we knew we would be right at the top among the ones to get rid of, alongside Rob and Amber."

Yes, game-show "professionals" Rob and Amber Mariano, the couple the Agus nipped at the finish line in a 2005 Amazing Race, are back. People love them or hate them, either for who they are and how they play and/or for having appeared not only on Race but also on two seasons of Survivor, including an all-star edition that Amber won.

"The fact that no one was a virgin (to The Amazing Race), that everyone except ourselves has experienced the pain of elimination and we haven't, getting rid of us was pretty high on some lists," Uchenna said.

"This is a very competitive group," van Munster said. "Rob and Amber are fine people. What we have done is made it difficult, particularly for veteran reality stars like Rob and Amber. And hard it was. We're going through more difficult terrain and cities and countries. That makes it physically very exhausting and as a result puts more pressure on your psyche."

Van Munster, who produces the show with his wife, Elise Doganieri, said putting together an all-star show that included only previous winners was considered and quickly discarded.

"We were strictly looking for character," he said. "The winner is not necessarily the most exciting person."

Joyce and Uchenna were the only previous winners chosen because "we really thought they deserved another shot," he said. "The way they handled themselves on the first show was just extraordinary and exemplary on many levels, and we really like them very much."

Van Munster would not divulge specifics about the new series, which begins unfolding at 7 p.m. Sunday on Channel 11. He did say, though, that this year's race will swing through Ecuador and Chile, including a visit to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world.

"The northern part of Chile is all desert, and the southern is basically like going to Switzerland," he said. "It's very remote and primitive and very hard to get through."

"It was quite a challenge," Agu said. "Let's just say the creators did a good job in putting together a challenging course."

The Agus spoke to the Chronicle taking care not to reveal the outcome or specific details about the race, which has been completed.

Q: Were you surprised you were asked back, especially since you already won?

A: Joyce: I was a little surprised that more winners weren't brought back.

Uchenna: We were really surprised to be the only winning couple brought back. Joyce made such a splash on the first one (she shaved her head to win one of the challenges), so I wasn't really surprised that we were picked for all-stars. We're excited that we get to represent Houston again.

Joyce: I remember after the first edition ended thinking I would never do anything like that again. Then, just like having a baby, you forget about all the pain and think about all the joy and the fun you got out of it.

Uchenna: People always ask us what we did with $1 million. The million helped out with financial things. It saved us from bankruptcy. But it was the experience, the lessons learned on the race, that changed our life.

Q: For the all-star edition, did any of your competitors come out and say they were gunning for you?

A: Uchenna: Some did, depending on their level of frustration.

Joyce: I think we're going to be surprised how many felt that way, because while you're filming you really don't interact with everyone. I'm sure it's going to come to light (as the series, which is still being edited, unfolds).

Q: Did you have a flashback moment when you saw Rob and Amber?

A: Joyce: The flashback moment came stepping into the room and seeing everybody and having the experience of "Oh my God, here we are again." To top it off, Rob and Amber are there, too.

Uchenna: It was just interesting to see all the racers who at one point we had cheered on ourselves (as viewers of the other editions).

Q: Were you guys recognized everywhere you went?

A: Joyce: Everywhere.

Uchenna: That's one of the advantages we felt Rob and Amber had in the first race. It was spread out a little more evenly this time.

Q: You guys maintained an even keel in the previous show. Was duplicating the effort a burden to you this time?

A: Joyce: We couldn't have planned to be righteous or good or any of that. As you see on this show so many times, whoever you are comes to light. You can't really avoid it. We just fell back into who we were. You can't act that.

Uchenna: You have so many things that take you out of your element: food deprivation, lack of sleep, the stress of competition, navigating in unfamiliar territory. By the time you get through all those things, you have no time to powder up and think, "I've got to say the right thing for the cameras." You forget about the cameras very quickly.

Joyce: When you're starving, the real you starts to pour out.

Q: Did you lose a lot of weight

A: Both: Yes.

Joyce: You can't help but lose weight. You have no control over when you're going to eat again.

Uchenna: You have a designated amount of money for each leg, and you're hesitant to spend any of it on snacks.

Joyce: The average viewer thinks you get a break every 12 hours, but that's not true. You get a break at every pit stop. You might not get to a pit stop for four days, and if you only have $20 or $40, you use most of that for cabs or airport fees. It gets to be a guessing game; do you eat now and hope this food and water are OK?

Q: Does the city of Houston recognize you as ambassadors?

A: Joyce: When we won the last time, we really did not do too much. We did a fundraiser for Casa de Esperanza, which helps young children. We wanted to do more (in Houston) but just didn't.

Uchenna: On Sunday, the city of Houston will give us a proclamation.

Joyce: We're starting to do a lot more.

(Since their win, the Uchennas have become motivational speakers, addressing audiences around the country. They have also invested in real estate projects, including one going up in Rockport. They also plan to participate in next month's Guaranty Bank Tour de Houston cycling event, which promotes exercise and fitness.)

Q: So you're doing both the Tour de Houston and the MS 150? (The latter bike ride, from Houston to Austin, takes place in April.)

A: Uchenna: We're not sure what we're doing to contribute to the MS 150.

College Park, Md.: What happens during the 12 hour pit stops? Do the teams explore the area, hang out together or just sleep? Also, how well do you get to know the teams while you travel with them?

Phil Keoghan: I do an interview with them on the mat chat. Then they'll go and do interviews with the story producers. I do more of the reaction interviews when they come in. Then the story producers do interviews with them separately. The producers get them to go from the beginning to the end of the leg -- to recap leg of the race -- and give them information about what happened story-wise.

Occasionally there is an opportunity for the teams to go and do something together -- they have the option -- but for the most part they're exhausted and they want to sleep.

I get to know them extremely well. I interview them extensively and I get plenty of time to hang with them at the pit stops.

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: Will there be any special twists for the contestants, especially since they have been through the race before and are aware of how to play the game?

Phil Keoghan: The format and the structure of the race will be exactly the same. We know that it works. What makes the show different is that we have the best of the best, not the ones that are fastest at going from Point A to Point B but the ones that are most interesting, racing against teams they know about but they have never raced against, with the odd exception of Rob and Amber and Uchenna and Joyce.

Obviously we'll be ramping things up because it is All-Stars but we always make any race challenging.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: why do we have to suffer through another season of Rob and Amber? Haven't they been overexposed enough yet? And isn't he an employee of CBS and The Early Show? Aren't CBS employees banned from such competitions?

Phil Keoghan: I can't speak to the arrangement that CBS has with Rob on The Early Show but there is no way you could have an All-Star show without Rob and Amber. If we didn't put them in even if people hated them, they would still be wondering why they weren't part of the All-Star Race, after all, the All-Stars are meant to be the most telegenic, captivating, engaging characters we've ever had in the race franchise. Surely you'd agree that Rob would be one of the most competitive and controversial racers ever. Having them in the race whether you love them or hate them is only going to make for a more exciting show.

_______________________

Detroit, Mich.: Phil, Do you know if CBS can put full episodes of "Amazing Race" on Innertube? Currently, eight shows have full episode links on the CBS Web site? Why not 'Race'?

Phil Keoghan: Good question. Please contact the people at Innertube and ask them directly. It makes sense that we should be up there with the other shows. Go to Innertube at cbs.com and click on Feedback button at bottom of the screen.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Hello, Phil! How are the challenges and locations decided upon? Is there a team out circling the globe looking for great experiences or are locals used?

Phil Keoghan: It's a combination of researchers, producers and people in a given country finding great challenges around the world.

_______________________

Frank from B-more: Phil, first of all, love the show. Me, my wife and kids make it appointment TV.

Especially with this All-Star format, is it hard to not pick a favorite team, and have you ever had to intervene with a team that was arguing? We also wonder, how long do you stay on location for the check-ins?

Phil Keoghan: You always have favorites; it's only human nature. But at the end of the day the teams I want to see stay in the race are not necessarily the ones that I like the most but the ones that I think are helping us create the best television show.

I don't see myself as a marriage counselor. Obviously, if I felt the need to step in and break something up I would but the nature of our show doesn't call for me to do that.

The time I stay for the pit stops or for the check-ins depends on the arrival times for all the teams. Sometimes it has been as little as minutes and other times it can be as much as 17 hours. That happened this season and the first teams to arrive left on the next leg before I had checked in the remaining team. That creates a problem for our schedule and makes our life frantic.

_______________________

Columbus, Ohio: Hi Phil! What's the status of other seasons of Race coming out on DVD (besides 1 and 7)?

Phil Keoghan: That's a great question. I'd love to see the whole series come out on DVD. Can you please go to cbs.com and make this request. If you look at the CBS homepage there is the same Feedback button at the bottom of the page.

_______________________

Silver Spring Race Fan: Phil! My wife and I love your show, we travel vicariously through it every season. My question is, have you ever had trouble staying ahead of the contestants to shoot your intros at the detour/roadblock/pit stop sites? Have you ever been passed by a team of racers? Thanks!

Phil Keoghan: We have trouble staying ahead of the teams all the time. A lot of people don't realize that with only 28 days to shoot 13 shows and travel more than 50,000 miles there are going to be major logistical challenges, especially when we can't predict exactly when teams will arrive in each location. There have been many times when I have had to skip shooting introductions ad detours and roadblocks, et., because the teams are ahead of me and I need to beat them to the pit stop and welcome the first team.

There have been occasions where I have literally been running to the mat from one direction while watching the first team running towards me.

I have been passed by racers. I have watched them take off on a flight ahead of me. In Season 10 I got stuck in immigration in Ukraine from 2:00 in the morning until about lunch time and almost missed seeing any of the teams at all.

If the spread of the teams is large enough we can find ourselves in an extremely tricky situation where we're trying to get all the elements we need shot and somehow find a way to keep ahead.

_______________________

Atlanta, Ga.: Many people noticed last season that you were not as prominant as in previous seasons (less voice overs, explanations, etc.). Since this is an All Star edition with people who have raced before, will we be seeing more or less of you this season? I definitely vote for more! Many of us tune in for you!

Phil Keoghan: Well, thank you. I have no idea how much presence I'll have. It's totally up to how the producers want to cut the show. Regardless of how much they use, the workload for me is always the same.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: As much as I love the show -- and I do, a lot -- it seems to me that over the seasons the tasks have gotten physically harder but the clues have become easier to solve. Where once teams had to figure out where to go, now the clues often seem to be no more than directions? Do you agree?

Phil Keoghan: Personally I like it when the teams have to figure stuff out. Designing a show that can allow somebody like Uchenna who at one point was one of the fastest men on the planet and Sharla who was a small person is an extremely challenging process. I think the producers do that well. The race has to be a perfect combination of using brains, brawn, teamwork and, of course, a bit of luck thrown in there as well. Not an easy thing to do.

_______________________

Immigration and Customs?: Hi Phil! I love TAR. My husband and I watch every season.

Do racers ever get preferential treatment in going through immigrations and customs? I've often wondered about how that works when all of the racers come shooting out of a new country's airport at the same time. Surely some of them have hang-ups in immigration. Do you guys keep them in a holding pen until everyone is through?

Phil Keoghan: All teams have to cooperate with helping their camera crews pass through customs with equipment. A tremendous amount of effort goes into making sure that this is done in a fair manner. Everybody has to go through the same process. For processing of immigratin, no team receives any preferential treatment over any other.

_______________________

Houston, Tex.: Are you able to work out and eat healthy during the running of "The Amazing Race"?

Phil Keoghan: Working out is always a challenge. Sometimes my workouts involve lifting equipment cases at airports, doing pushups curling rocks and pullups from trees on location when time permits. I also travel with a skipping rope and a pair of running shoes. Even if I can get 15 minutes of free time I'll use it to maintain some level of fitness.

_______________________

Phil Keoghan: I get myself in the best possible shape I can before each race, bike riding up to 12 hours a week as well as boxing training twice a week. I don't drink when I'm on the road and in any given season with the crazy schedule and lack of sleep I lose up to 10 pounds.

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: Phil, I love the Amazing Race! It's the only reality show I ever watch. But why would I want to watch a bunch of teams I've seen before? Previous commercials for the show mentioned how 75 percent of Americans want to be on the show. An all-star edition doesn't give me or anyone else a chance.

Phil Keoghan: Not so long ago the idea of an All-Star Amazing Race didn't really appeal to me either. People were talking about it as early as Season 5. But after doing 10 races and featuring more than 100 teams Race fans seeme to show more and more interest in the idea of featuring their favorite teams facing off against each other. I have to say that the results of mixing our most interesting teams together in one race has created a dynamic new spin and I hope that once you see the show you'll agree it had to be done.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: What did you do before the show?

Phil Keoghan: For more than 20 years I've been working in front of the camera, shooting and traveling around the world for 20 years now. Before being picked to work on Race I had worked in over 60 countries and worked on a number of personality-driven series for the Discovery Channel, spent four years traveling around the U.S., doing live stories for the Fox morning show, "Fox After Breakfast," hosted specials for the Sundance Channel, Vh1, A and E, Fox and CBS.

_______________________

Ocean City, Md.: Hi, Phil!!

I love the show, and can't wait for the new season.

Do you ever disclose the countries the teams will visit in advance? Will you return to some of the countries from previous seasons, like Morocco, or Russia?

Thank you!

Phil Keoghan: Yes, we do disclose some of the countries we go to. In this season, for instance, we'll be going to Argentina, Chile and Mozambique. We keep some of the locations a secret so viewers are surprised by where we go. We will absolutely go back to countries we visite before. India has featured again and again in series of The Amazing Race. Personally, I like it when we go somewhere completely new.

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: I've noticed that a lot of (probably stinky and sweaty) Racers love to hug you when they check in. Does that annoy you?

Phil Keoghan: It depends what they've been rolling in. In Season 4 when the Clowns had so much fun playing in the manure I wasn't exactly welcoming them with open arms. There are times when having a good sense of smell is a kerse if only television could provide the extensive plethora of aromas that teams arrive at the mat with_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Can one of your producers make a video collage of your eyebrow thing?

Phil Keoghan: I understand from fans they call my eyebrow the "browsie." Funny story, I was at the Kentucky Derby last year and Lee Majors's wife came storming up to me saying that I had stolen her husband's (Lee Majors) eyebrow from the time he was on "The Six Million Dollar Man." Turns out she's a huge fan of the show and was just kidding. However, she did mention that The Rock is also making use of the "browsie" and if she sees him, she's gonna take him down.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: How many applications do you get per season?

And any chance me and my brother could be on the next show?

Phil Keoghan: We get tens of thousands of applications. Imagine a large room filled with mail from floor to ceiling. It's overwhelming the interest that people have to be on this show. Every application is viewed; you just never know that an amazing team might be buried at the bottom of the pile.

_______________________

Phil Keoghan: People always ask me what you need to do to get on the race. Just be yourself. If you're interesting and unique we'll find you. I'd like to say thank you to our devoted fans, the ones that have stuck with us from the beginning, the fan sites that continue to generate interest in the show, particularly our biggest fans at Television Without Pity. Thank you.

HA! He's getting closer, only missed the Antarctic Peninsula by 200 miles this time. However, he refers to USHUAIA as an island, which it is not. The quite large island where USHUAIA is situated is Tierra Del Fuego. The first mistake is understandable since the Amazing Race apparently did not go to Antarctica and BVM never had a geography lesson on that part of the world. The second is inexcusable since they just raced there in episode 4 of AR11.

Perhaps by the time Amazing Race All-Stars are over, BVM will havelearned USHUAIA geography. We can always hope.

Was just coming to add this interview--I think it has a few maybe spoilers:

Quote

David's got a nickname now of Hollywood, because he put a little bleach in his hair, and when he goes down in the mine, they all call him Mr. Hollywood.

Quote

They sometimes take forever to get through the pit stops. We were in Europe this last time, and the teams got so spread out, and that's part of what made the whole series tough this time is that the separation was huge. And there was a spread of seventeen hours from the first team to the last team [one time]. So the first team had left, and I was still waiting five hours in the middle of the night, in this cold location. The only place to be was on the floor of an old building. This one journalist was like, "Wow, you're on the ground trying to sleep?" And I go, "Yeah, it's not like I can go back and lie down in a hotel."

Quote

For instance, in that European leg, the first team had a five hour head start on us leaving! Five hours is a long time. They get on a flight ahead of you to the next place, and then you get on the ground and I'm meant to go explain the Detail, Roadblock, Yield or Fast Forward before I get to the Pit Stop. Well, if they've got a five hour lead, they're already through all those challenges, sometimes, and I've got to go straight to the pit stop. Then we've got to work out how I can back track, to go back to these places. Now if it's a two or three hour drive or a plane ride, it becomes a nightmare. It's not a picnic. And I love it, by the way! I carry my own bags and all the rest of it.

Quote

We were in Africa, and the Pit Stop location had to get moved because of logistics. We'd taken a flight to the next location, packed up about forty bags into a propeller charter flight and flew two hours to the next location. As soon as we landed, we got a phone call to say the teams had been held up. They were never gonna make it to the pit stop where we were at. We'd just unloaded all the bags in the middle of the night. So they asked the flight crew if they would fly us back the next morning, and the crew said no; they were gonna go back. So we had to load all the bags back on the plane, take the two hour flight back again, then go out and in the middle of the night for the pit stop, having not been to bed at all. There was no facility for any of us, like chairs or any of that. So at one point there was 12 of us, cameramen and production people, all tightly packed onto the mat, which was lying in a grassy area, being absolutely annihilated at 3:00 am by mosquitoes

.

ie Zach and Flo??

Quote

Eric obviously wants Danielle to really step up this time and be there. And you can imagine what happens when he's pushing really hard and she's wanting to take maybe a slightly slower approach or she's being pushed into a place she just hasn't been before. And he's now having to look after somebody who's totally the opposite of Jeremy. I mean he couldn't have a more different partner this time. So I think it makes it very, very interesting, and I think people will be intrigued to see -- and it will become very evident quickly -- how their relationship reacts to this new pressure.

interesting:

Quote

IGN TV: Before Season 10 began, you'd mentioned in an interview I believe that there was a "problem team." With that season over, any chance you can let that cat out of the bag?

Keoghan: A problem team? A team that kept giving us problems all the time?

IGN TV: That's the impression, but no one knew who you were talking about.

Keoghan: A team that was sort of questioning everything? [Laughs] Um… See, I get myself into trouble. I tell you. Then you put it out there. Then I go to one of these meetings, and then they come and confront me and I'm trying to have a nice, cold drink. And I gotta deal with, "What do you mean, we were…!?" You know, I gotta be careful what I say!

IGN TV: [Laughs] Understandable.

Keoghan: If only because I need peace when I get to a gathering. I'll let you draw your own conclusions on who you think it is. Who do you think it is?

IGN TV: Well, I wondered if it was Lyn & Karlyn, mostly based on the fact that they didn't seem to have the most upbeat attitude.

Keoghan: No, it was not them. In fact, they were quite good to deal with.

before I forget another interview with Phil @ IGN (http://tv.ign.com/articles/765/765692p1.html)

No, I'm not PUDDIN. The reason is that I forgot something in my earlier measurement. King George Island is north of the Antarctic Peninsula yet I consider it (and I'm sure BVM does too now that he has looked into it) part of Antarctica. Its closest point is a tad over 500 miles from USHUAIA. I will let the "Ushuaia is an island" comment go because it's so laughable. We need lot's of good comedy in our lives and if I discourage him from providing it, who is going to provide it? Phil?

Susan Vaughn will watch "The Amazing Race: All Stars" premiere today (8 p.m., Channels 12, 7) to see what she missed.

Vaughn and her son, Patrick, who competed on the show two years ago, were asked by CBS to apply for the "All Stars" series in August. But they were not chosen to be one of the 11 teams racing around the world for $1 million. (Neither were any of the Linz family from Anderson Township, which won a "Race" in 2005.)

"We were told we in a very, very select group of people. We later heard that there 15 teams actually considered," says Vaughn, 56, director of Miami University's ethics and conflict resolution office in Oxford.Vaughn and her son, a 1997 Hamilton High School graduate and an aspiring writer in Hollywood, were eliminated from the "Race" when their boat engine failed in Argentina. It took producers 90 minutes to get them a new boat.

"We felt like we didn't get a fair shake. Nothing we did was the cause of us losing. It was the boat," Vaughn says.

"We loved the 'Race' and wanted to do it again, even though it turns your life upside," says Vaughn, who made about 40 paid appearances in 2005 from her TV exposure. "For a year, my life was crazy

Exclusive Interview: John Vito and Jill, First Team Eliminated on The Amazing Race All-Stars

February 20, 2007

John Vito Pietanza and Jill Aquilino became the first casualties of CBS's The Amazing Race: All Stars during the show's premiere on Sunday. America was reintroduced to 11 of the most recognizable and infamous teams from The Amazing Race's first ten seasons in what will surely be one the show's best seasons yet. John and Jill, who first competed in the third season of the show while dating, have since separated and competed on All-Stars as just friends. They were kind enough to spend a few minutes talking to us at BuddyTV about their time on the show.

When were you two first contacted about Amazing Race: All Stars?

John Vito: I think it was towards the end of the summer.

Jill: Yeah it was right around sometime in the beginning of August that they gave us a call.

What were your first thoughts when you were offered a spot on Amazing Race: All Stars?

John Vito: I think it was a little different this time for me, just because I’m at a different point in my career, so just to take the time off of work was my only concern. But it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run The Amazing Race and to be offered this opportunity twice, I really couldn’t turn it down. So, as long as I was okay to leave work for that time, I was definitely on board. And I was looking forward to doing it with Jill, of course.

Jill: Same here, same here.

What were your general impressions, any teams that stood out during your time on the show?

Jill: I honestly think that all the teams were great teams and they all have different aspects that make them great and great for being in the All Stars and we learned that you can’t underestimate anyone. Like, our season I think a lot of people underestimated Terry and Ian and they did fantastic our season. We know you can’t underestimate anyone and they all have really great qualities that make them stand out. So, we were concerned about all the teams but our main concern was really on how much luck we would have on this race and you know, whether we would end up beating each other and in this case we happened to have some bad luck, which happens.

Was there any difference, changes in production from Season 3 to All Stars?

John Vito: Well I think that since we were only there for one leg it’s a little difficult for us to gauge that, but the first leg was just much more difficult than Race 3 and more stressful. I mean it’s been four years since we were on it, so maybe I just don’t remember the intensity of Race 3 but I just think that the drive that leads the girls to the pit stop or to the detour, it was one of the most brutal experiences I’ve ever gone through. You know, it was 13,000 feet above sea level so there was altitude sickness, the road was very bumpy and, you know, because they’re trying to squeeze all the teams into the first episode, you really don’t get a feel for it watching it on television, but it was much more difficult than the previous race.

Jill: It was also different in that as soon as we started, we were already getting recognized, everyone was getting recognized. So that was totally different because the first time we did it, no one’s recognizable. So it was a totally different experience all the way around.

When you guys were finishing up that last detour, did you think there was a possibility that you weren’t last?

Jill: Yeah of course, I mean we knew that there was a very strong possibility we were in last but we were trying to remain positive because we’ve all seen the episodes, it’s very likely that somebody else is in a worse predicament than you so we kept our confidence because we didn’t know for sure and it unfortunately didn’t work in our favor but if you’re stressed the whole time knowing that you never know.

John Vito: Yeah, we were very lost and we thought that we were going to lose by a pretty wide margin and I think we only wound up coming in about 20 minutes behind Kevin and Drew, and so apparently they encountered some problems on the way also, so you always have to keep going and hope for the best.

What do each of you have in store for the future?

John Vito: I’m just back to work and you know, I’m going to enjoy the rest of the season and watch what I missed on television.

Jill: Yeah, me too. We’ve heard all about it but it’s totally different when you actually get to see how it gets edited and unfolds on TV so we’re looking forward to that.

John Vito: My favorite part of being on The Amazing Race 3 was all the great places we got to visit. I think it’s going to be a little difficult watching it, knowing that we had the opportunity to run the race again and, you know, we kind of squandered our opportunity by being first eliminated but it’s just the way the game works. I think we’re just fortunate that the past ten seasons there’s been a team that was eliminated first, that didn’t really get to experience the entire race. So at least we still have our memories from race 3 where we made it pretty far. So it kind of softens the blow of going out first on All Stars.

How difficult is it not telling anyone who won?

Jill: I think it was more difficult not telling anyone we got eliminated. I think everyone was expecting us to do really well and I know standing on that mat when we got eliminated, the hardest thing for me was I felt like I had let down and disappointed everyone I knew, including Jon Vito, my family, my friends, work, everybody. It was a tough pill to swallow, but it just wasn’t our time.

....Reality TV World: Did being sequestered together change your feelings for each other or for any of the other teams?

John Vito: Eventually there were five teams there, so it wasn't just like one-on-one time. We spent a lot of time with the group hanging out together. I think we got to know people more and I think that everybody we were with are good people and I enjoyed spending the time with them to get to know them... although none of us wanted to be there.

Phil interview:" they head to South America, we'll be visiting Argentina, Chlie..we'll be getting to Mozambique Africa, we'll be hitting..Europe, some surprise places, and Asia..we'll be hitting the Pacific and then of course we move back around to the United States for the big finish."

This interview with Phil was put up today..http://wjz.com/video/?id=25236@wjz.dayport.com

Phil: "..we're going to be heading down to South America, we'll head to Argentina, Chile ..over to Africa where we'll be getting to Mozambique ummm and a few other countries in Africa , up into Europe ..uh some surprise places in Asia and also into the Pacific and uh that rounds up the trip and brings us all the way home uh.. just over 50,000 miles on this one. I would say logically the toughest one we've done since Season 1 *cough cough * a Hugh separation between the teams checking in and at one point 17 hours between the teams .." dude: Wow!

Phil: " so uhh some of the teams that actually left on the next leg and I was still waiting 5 hours for the last team to arrive which uh makes our life a nightmare.."dude: because you have got to beat the teams to the next stop!?

Phil: " yeah theres a perception, and I get this question a lot, I think a lot of people are only just starting to think about it, is a perception that some how I'm always off sightseeing and shopping and I often have to remind people that the show is shot in 28 days and theres 13 shows .. and that I go everywhere they go and I can't get there any faster and uh theres no charter jets and if we have to drive 7 hours to get to the mountains I'm sitting in a car somewhere driving the 7 hours and if they spread themselves out the way they did on this season they make my life a nightmare..and uh you know I curse them.."

The Miami Herald on the start of the race (http://origin.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/television/16748529.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_television) Couple of interesting comments--where contestants were before the race began

The Miami Herald on the start of the race (http://origin.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/television/16748529.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_television) Couple of interesting comments--where contestants were before the race began

Big Papi--did you know Eric has a wife?? :lol: :lol:

I am on the phone right now. We are disappointed to say the least, about not being invited to the nuptials. I am also calling the Miami Herald to find out if there is a new grandchild as well as a daughter-in-law. :yess: :happy: :wohoo: :hearts:

I was excited the other day to talk to Phil Keoghan, the host of The Amazing Race. I've watched the show religiously since Day 1 and I was always under the impression that Phil had it pretty easy. I envisioned him sitting in a cozy air conditioned room getting a call when the contestants were getting close to the mat and he'd just step out. I however was completely wrong. The super nice host told me how he normally loses about ten pounds a season, and gave me insights on some of the trials and tribulations that he and his crew faced this season alone (which airs Sundays at 8 pm/ET on CBS). In addition to losing his bag at one point and having to do an emergency shopping trip, they had to change locales on a moments notice.

"We had to change the location of a pit stop because the teams weren't going to get to a certain place at a certain time. Everything was changing and evolving. We were flying ahead to where the pit stop was going to be, and flew a number of hours to this location only to find out when we landed that the teams weren't EVER going to be able to make the route. We had to put 40 something bags back on the plane and fly all the way back again, then we ended up at a place where we weren't meant to have a pit stop, so things were a little sketchy and there were 12 of us at one point lying on the mat at three in the morning swatting mosquitos."

OK, so I totally stand corrected. And Phil — who expressed extraordinary gratitude for his hardworking crew — was quick to correct me when I said that he had it easy.

"I'm amazed that everybody always thinks that. I guess in the show I'm standing and waiting, but you only have to do the math and look at the number of shows and the number of days we travel [usually about 30] to realize that there are days where we don't get to sleep or check in to a hotel."

"On one part of the race, the teams were so spread out that there was a **17 hour difference between first and last. The first teams were leaving and I was still waiting another five hours for the last team to come in. We always hope that if we have a long spread we're at a nice pit stop. It doesn't always work like that. If you are in the salt pans in Botswana, and the teams are spread out 14 hours, it isn't like you move from the mat to a comfortable place. You are on a salt pan for however many hours it takes, or on a junk in Hong Kong bobbing up and down for 13 hours."

"I wash my hair on the side of the road, because a lot of times I can't get to a shower. I have a portable steamer and carry my own clothes. There's no wardrobe or makeup out there. It is just me. I'm not complaining, I love it because I don't want to be stuck in a studio. I just think it is not what people imagine. "

"There is one pit stop early on this season when we are at the end of a dirt road, in a very dry place, the only shelter was a rain umbrella. We were just drenched with sweat. I think I went through about 14 bottles of water. The only place to sit down was on top of a cooler or an equipment case. I don't know what people imagine I'm doing. It's not like there's a trailer out there. [Laughs] But I wouldn't have it any other way."

** we know this happened in Europe thanks to the IGN interview (http://tv.ign.com/articles/765/765692p1.html)tvguide (http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=800009677&rssDate=12345678)

Uchenna and Joyce get their bearings in Quito, Ecuador, leg of "The Amazing Race: All-Stars."

If the Oscar races on ABC Sunday night don't interest you, there are other options.Fresh episodes of NBC's "Grease: You're the One That I Want" and CBS' "The Amazing Race: All-Stars" are on at 8 opposite the Academy Awards.

As alternatives go, "Grease" is a waste. But "Amazing Race: All-Stars," which began last Sunday, is another of the show's patented, enjoyable high-speed chases. And this time, most of the faces are familiar right from the start.

Even if you're a less than loyal viewer of "Amazing Race," chances are you will recognize a few of the all-star players. Certainly, it's easy to recognize Rob and Amber, who competed on "Survivor" before turning their celebrity status into a ticket to "Amazing Race" and a few other reality showcases.

"I've had enough of Rob and Amber," one fellow contestant grumbled in last week's "All-Stars" premiere. "I think America may have, also."

Not quite. At least not on this show, where Rob and Amber quickly shot into the lead, and, despite wasting time on a detour task they later abandoned, maintained the lead for the first leg of the race.

They're still fun to watch, and increasingly unpredictable. Last week Rob was nice, rather than scheming and nasty, to a competitor - while Mary, wife of Kentucky coal miner David from the most recent "Race" cycle, came to this rematch with an attitude closer to the Boston Rob of old.

Other teams include Uchenna and Joyce, who won the seventh edition and hope that competing again will help them find happiness as a couple; Mirna and little person Charla, the cousins with a lot of heart from cycle five; bald buddies Kevin and Drew from season one, and blond beauty-queen buddies Dustin and Kandice from the same race as David and Mary.

Last week, when the team flew from Miami to Ecuador, Mary noticed how her husband lit up while maneuvering a four-wheel-drive vehicle over a muddy, rough wilderness road and past a rival team's slower car.

"This is fun for you, ain't it?" she asked him, as they bounced past the competition.

Kevin and Drew on the Early Show Video (http://video.cgi.cbsnews.com/vplayer3/play.pl?type=rm&width=320&height=240&feat=vplayer&adtype=pre&arena=video&prod=eyebox&dc=videos.showbuzz.cbsnews.com&adv=b&id=2515625n&ord=67595.03587537046)

RTVW interview with the Frats (http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/interview--kevin-and-drew-talk-about-their-all-stars-experience-4764.php) Reality TV World: Is there anybody you guys would hate to see win?

Drew: Ahh, Charla and Mirna.

Reality TV World: Is there a reason why?

Drew: Mirna's just a little overbearing. Kevin: I don't like the way she uses Charla as a crutch for everything. The fact that Charla is a little person doesn't mean that they should get to walk down the airplane [aisle] first because she needs help. She's just fine, thank you. And in some ways, she's much physically stronger than Mirna is (laughing). That and the whole accent that she has. Where she speaks English and talks in a foreign accent.Drew: It's English but with a foreign accent.

Reality TV World: How was Sequesterville?

Drew: It was awesome. It was awesome. I loved it, Kevin hated it. It was beautiful. It was 23 days of great weather, a staff of seven people taking care of us. It was awesome

“We Were Big Fans of Everybody!” – An Interview with The Amazing Race's David & Mary by Teeuwynn Woodruff -- 03/06/2007

David & Mary earned the love of many in their first trip on The Amazing Race. What do these reality TV fans have to say about going on All-Stars with some of their reality TV favorites? And what was the real reason Mary was so mad at Charla & Mirna? Find out here!

Former Survivor and Amazing Race Contestants Available For Autographs … (Trenton, NJ) – The Trenton Thunder, the Double-A Affiliate of the New York Yankees, have announced that Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich Mariano, the husband and wife duo who have starred on CBS reality shows Survivor and The Amazing Race, will be the special guests at the Thunder’s Reality TV Night presented by the Bucks County Courier Times to be held on May 3. The Thunder will host New Hampshire at 7:05 pm.

All Trenton Thunder tickets including season tickets, mini ticket packages and group outings for the 2007 season are on sale now by calling 609-394-3300 or online at www.trentonthunder.com.

Former Survivor and Amazing Race Contestants Available For Autographs … (Trenton, NJ) – The Trenton Thunder, the Double-A Affiliate of the New York Yankees, have announced that Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich Mariano, the husband and wife duo who have starred on CBS reality shows Survivor and The Amazing Race, will be the special guests at the Thunder’s Reality TV Night presented by the Bucks County Courier Times to be held on May 3. The Thunder will host New Hampshire at 7:05 pm.

All Trenton Thunder tickets including season tickets, mini ticket packages and group outings for the 2007 season are on sale now by calling 609-394-3300 or online at www.trentonthunder.com.

By JOHN POWELL -- Jam! ShowbizA January 27th posting on the "Amazing Race" forum at the "Television Without Pity" reality series site gives the exact order the "All-Star" teams will be eliminated. The list was posted by member "auntieb" but was originally sent to the forum operators at "Pity" by "a source close to the show."

"So since the "boot" list has been brought up, and since it now appears that the chances of it being accurate are very high, I will post it below," wrote "auntieb" in the forum before divulging the information.

With three episodes and three boots in the can, the list has been entirely accurate thus far.

While reality shows like "Survivor" are the subject of numerous supposed boot lists each and every season, it is rare that one focusing on the "Amazing Race" is leaked. Information about the locations and the actual competitions are the norm though.

For those who just MUST know, a copy of the "Philimination List" is in-between the arrows below. To view it, highlight the area with your mouse.

Thank you JOHN POWELL (http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/TV_Shows/A/Amazing_Race_11/2007/03/07/3709816-ca.html) :hearts:

PUDDIN, your next mission, if you care to accept it, is to straighten out RON LEMON of Reality TV Calendar, who in an article dated today has pretty much parrotted the original version of Powell's article.

Romber on the Early Show Video (http://video.cgi.cbsnews.com/vplayer2/play2.pl?type=rm&prod=eyebox&arena=video&feat=vplayer&dc=videos.showbuzz.cbsnews.com&adtype=pre&adv=a&id=2557602n&ord=67873.99016282665) or webpage. (http://www.showbuzz.cbsnews.com/)

Rob and Amber Mariano, The Amazing Race: All-Stars The southernmost tip of Argentina — aka the end of the world — marked the end of the road for professional reality stars Rob and Amber Mariano. The couple — who met on Survivor: All-Stars, were engaged on the Amazing Race 7 and married on yet another reality show — seemed to be the team to beat on CBS' The Amazing Race: All-Stars, winning each of the first three legs. But following a fluke series of unfortunate events (one of which involved the spelling of "Philippines"), they lost their lead and came in last. TV Guide spoke to the pair the day after their elimination aired. As you might expect, they vowed "Romber" may be down, but never out. TV Guide: "Romber" losing was a huge surprise, especially after you won three legs in a row. Do you think you were getting a little too comfortable? Amber Mariano: We were definitely on a high, excited about doing so well. But we also know that The Amazing Race isn't necessarily a race from start to finish. Each leg is its own race. So we started each day with a new outlook: "Here we go!" Rob Mariano: Yeah, I don't think we got comfortable. Honestly, we were frustrated because there's a lot you really don't have any control over. Like the crapshoot challenge that you have to find your letter in a stack of 1,600. There's no skill to it. There's no anything besides luck that's going to make you find your letter before somebody else finds theirs. It's random. Amber: You can't prepare for that. It has nothing to do with strength or smarts or anything.

TV Guide: Did you shed a tear during the letter-sorting? It looked like your eyes were red. Amber: [Laughs] They were probably just red from not sleeping for the past week. Rob: Yeah, I wasn't crying. Believe me.

TV Guide: What, Rob doesn't do tears? Rob: Nah. Amber: Sometimes. But he didn't cry then. Rob: I don't think I've cried since I was, like, 7. Amber: We smiled the whole way to the finish line because we knew we were eliminated. It wasn't a surprise to step on that mat and have Phil tell us we were in last place.

TV Guide: How much time was there between your finish and Charla and Mirna's? Rob: Maybe 10 or 15 minutes. Amber: Yeah. Before we even opened our letter we knew we were the only ones left.

TV Guide: Correct me if I'm wrong, but in your last leg of the race you took Uchenna's directions, stole Charla and Mirna's cab, and then lied to them about the clue box. Was this karma coming back to bite you in the butt? Rob: Let's set the record straight: I didn't steal Uchenna and Joyce's directions. I simply came out of the airplane bathroom and the flight attendant handed me a piece of paper. That's not my fault. If it's anybody's fault, it's Uchenna's fault for asking for directions and not standing and waiting for her to hand them to him. Amber: Yeah. Rob didn't even know what he was getting when he got it. But he just took it.

TV Guide: Why would the flight attendant hand you something someone else had requested? Rob: I have no idea. We all got on the plane at the same time and there were a bunch of camera people there.Amber: Plus the flight attendant doesn't know that we're in a race. She probably thought we were all traveling together

TV Guide: And what about the cab? Amber: We figured out where all the cabs start coming in, and figured, "Let's start walking in that direction." Rob: Charla and Mirna said, "Oh, we should call a cab." But they never actually called a cab. The whole story is this: Whenever we arrive at an airport, some teams get stopped and have to go through customs. It's completely random. Originally, we were the first ones out of the airport, but then our camera guy gets stopped. So now we're the last ones out of the airport. When we got out, there were no cabs left, so I immediately took Amber and started walking up the only road coming into this place. Charla and Mirna started walking literally 10 seconds behind us. So that was made up. Amber: And even if it was their cab, there's nothing written in the rules that says you can't take another team's cab. Rob and I play by the rules, and the rest of the game is up to you.

TV Guide: Rob, when did you realize your mistake in spelling "Philippines"? Rob: When I saw it on television. Because despite what you saw on TV with the voice-over where Phil says teams must spell the words correctly, that was never communicated to us.

TV Guide: OK, let's switch topics. When do you plan on taking the trip you won to Whistler, Canada? Amber: To tell you the truth, we were there last February and absolutely loved it, so maybe we'll go back next winter sometime when it snows really, really good.

TV Guide: Are you going to keep your other goodies — the motorcycles, the home gym? Amber: We haven't thought about it too, too much. But I have a hard time picturing Rob and I on off-road dirt bikes. Rob: Maybe we'll trade them for jet skis or something. Amber: Because we live by the ocean, we've always talked about getting some jet skis, so maybe that's what we'll do.

TV Guide: We got a glimpse of your home on Rob & Amber: Against All Odds. How many bedrooms do you have? Rob: Four. Amber: But one of the bedrooms is not a bedroom, it's like an office. It's a perfect house for the two of us.

TV Guide: Not to sound like your mother or anything, but are you planning on putting any children in those other bedrooms? Rob: Eventually. Amber: We definitely would love to. One day. So, we'll see. When it happens, it happens.

TV Guide: How have you spoken to Susan and Patrick? Their letter was brutal. They said, "I hope this finds you lost, hungry and in last place"! Rob: It's funny because when we read the letter, Amber and I looked at each other and were like, "Who are Susan and Patrick?" They're mad at us, but we had no idea who they were. We had to come home and look them up on the computer.

TV Guide: How does it feel to be a team people loved to hate? Both: It's great. Amber: We loved it. It works for us. That's why we are where we are today. Rob: The bottom line is that when Amber and I go on TV shows, it creates a stir. And every reaction, whether it's positive or negative, does one thing, which the TV networks see, and that is, it brings in viewers. So as long as that's happening, we're doing our job.

TV Guide: How much were you guys paid to do TAR: All-Stars?Rob: We can't talk about specifics. But we got paid a lot of money. Amber: Yeah.

TV Guide: Unlike the regular race, where I'm assuming people don't get paid.Rob: I can't comment about other people. But CBS made it very well worth Amber and I coming back.

TV Guide: So what's next for Rob and Amber? Rob: We actually have a very big project coming up. It's going to be frustrating, but we can't talk about it now. But I promise you when you hear it, you will know about it and remember how big it is.

TV Guide: Does this project involve cameras following you? Amber: We can't really say anything. Rob: It's not what you're used to seeing us doing, but it's going to be big.

TV Guide: Does it involve a television network? [Both laugh] Amber: You're prying.

TV Guide: It's what I do. But I'll back off. Mary said you taught her to swim at the elimination station in Acapulco. Amber: She's always been afraid of the water, but I think she always had it in her, it's just a matter of somebody making her face it. I used to teach swimming lessons when I was in college, so I got her in the water and taught her how to survive in the water. Hopefully she'll teach her kids. It is an important skill to have.

TV Guide: Rob, did you teach anyone how to play poker while at the elimination station? Rob: No. I just tried to take their per diem money. But we had a good time. We had fun there.

TV Guide: So far TAR hasn't left South America. Is there any place you would have liked to have gone? Rob: We went all around the world the first time. The only continent I haven't been on is Australia, so I would have liked to have gone there.

TV Guide: Amber, what did you think about the way Eric talked about Danielle's boobs all the time? I thought it was really honorable how, when they did a comparison, Rob never spoke of you that way. Amber: I'm not sure how Danielle feels about it. But if it was me, I'd be a little bit uncomfortable. But who knows, maybe she's completely comfortable with the way he just puts them out there like that. If she's OK with it, then I won't think anything of it. But I know if I were in that situation, I wouldn't appreciate it very much!

Thanks for posting the interview with TV Guide, Puddin. I was about to do it myself!

Thank you, AMBER, for saying what I was thinking, and she said it very nicely. Maybe Eric is just trying to keep up his frat boy appearance, but he sure comes off like a pig with the things he says. He treats Danielle like a blonde bimbo. Maybe she is one, I don't know. Still, I can't imagine her enjoying the treatment she gets from him.

Also, kudos to Amber to teaching Mary to swim! Amber seems like a very decent lady. As much as I don't really care for Rob, I have to admire the fact that he treats "his woman" very well. I've never heard a word of disrespect from him to or about Amber. Plus, Amber will call him out when she disagrees, and that's a good thing. These two have great communication!

IGN TV: I wanted to ask you what you thought of Mirna & Charla, because they seem to be having conflict with every other team this season.

Amber: Yeah, it's really Mirna I think. It's always Mirna, screaming at other people and really screaming at Charla and giving her a hard time. She's not very cool under pressure I guess you would say, and I think that hurts them. This race is something that you have to be calm and collected and cool under pressure. And when you freak out, you make stupid little mistakes, and they can cause you the race.

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Teri and Ian Pollock, probably the best "older" team in the history of The Amazing Race, got a raw deal last night. Through little, or no, fault of their own, the long-married couple got stuck in the Johannesburg airport on constant standby, while every other team but one flew out before them. They were eliminated from The Amazing Race: All-Stars last night, and it was a shame. Nonetheless, the couple was kind enough to stop by and talk to us at BuddyTV about their time on Amazing Race this season and the frustration of airport travel.

Below we have both the transcript of the interview, along with the full audio.

When you were first asked to be on All Stars how interested were you guys and did you have any apprehensions about going back on the show?

Ian: First words we said , “We’re in”.

Last night's episode, it looked like some of the most frustrating moments I’ve ever seen on the show. You know, the whole airport situation, was it as bad as it looked to us viewers?

Teri: Definitely just as bad, maybe worse.

Ian: I think worse.

Since it wasn’t any fault of your own, the whole stand-by situation, how frustrating is it to lose or be eliminated on something like that?

Ian: Very frustrating , when you don’t lose on your own racing abilities and you're stuck in an airport with 10,000 people trying to get on flights, it's very depressing.

Do you wish that this show safe guarded against this kind of thing so that its really about the race, because I think its safe to say that you two are two of the strongest racers on the show or ever to be on the show, right?

Teri: Right, it would be nice if they could do that but I guess that it wouldn’t be reality.

Over the course of the season was there anything edited out that you wish they had shown from you guys that they didn’t?

Teri: We were thrilled with our edits this time, they showed that we were determined people.

Ian: That we were a team, a life team and we work very well together and you know it was just sad [to be eliminated so early].

There wasn’t very much bad stuff to show about you guys, right?

Teri: Right! (laughter)

What would you two say your favorite place, on your first season or this season, ever to visit?

Ian: For me, I got to tell you, it would have to be going back to Vietnam.

Teri: I think I loved all the places, last season and our first season. Our first season, in Portugal it was beautiful everywhere and to see all the cities that you might not normally go to on your own.

Ian: I really liked all of the places but the emotional thing about Vietnam is what brought that answer out, there were just so many beautiful places though.

Any final words? Do you two have anything planned for the future that you might want to let us know about?

Ian: Teri and I are very much into adventure travel so keep your eyes open, you never know were we might show up.

“We Wanted to Race”: An Interview with The Amazing Race: All Stars’ Teri & Ian by Teeuwynn Woodruff -- 03/27/2006

This week poor Teri & Ian faced horrible airport troubles that unfortunately led to their Philimination from All-Stars. What do Teri & Ian have to say about the race? What about the race reminded Ian & Teri of their honeymoon? And just how much did Teri hate staying in airports for two days?

RealityNewsOnline: Hi, guys, and thanks for talking to RealityNewsOnline!

Ian: Hi! How’s it going?

RNO: You guys were running a great race. I was sorry to see you eliminated. How far behind the Guidos were you to the Pit Stop?

Ian: Two or three minutes.

RNO: Very close! How long did it take you, Ian, to hit the plate with the rungu at the Roadblock?

Ian: Very fast, probably six to eight throws at the most.

RNO: Very fast! How much longer than the Guidos did it take you two to finish the puzzle?

Ian: Probably about three or four minutes... maybe ten minutes. We just didn’t realize that both sides of the fish were painted. Once we did, it took about two minutes to finish.

RNO: How long did the trip on the dhow take to get to Zanzibar?

Ian: Six hours. It only took about an hour to get back

(Teri laughs.)

RNO: How did you get back?

Ian: On a hydrofoil.

RNO: Did you and the Guidos chat much on the boat, or were you all too tense, knowing one of you would be eliminated?

Ian: It wasn’t tense at all. We really bonded with them. Even before getting stuck in the airport and being on the dhow with them we had been pretty friendly with them. They’re really nice people. We decided that when we weren’t able to race, we were just going to sit around and jaw and be friendly. And when it was time to race, we were just going to race. We weren’t going to be ugly, we were just going to race.

RNO: The whole airplane situation seemed to be your undoing. Do you feel better that you played the odds and lost? Or do you wish you had taken the risk Charla & Mirna did?

Teri: They didn’t take any more risks than we did. We were all trying to get on the same flight. They got on that very first flight. They were very lucky. Everybody tried to get on that flight. They were very lucky. And the same with all of the other flights. We were on standby for all of the other flights that everyone else was on standby for – priority standby, even though they were upstairs and we were downstairs. It made it seem like it wasn’t, but we all received the same treatment.

Ian: I mean, it was just a roll of the dice. Certainly, we would have preferred to be eliminated in racing mode, not getting stopped in an airport. We wanted to race. We had no control over what was going on in an airport with 10,000 people trying to go on a religious migration.

RNO: Is that what was going on?

Ian: Yes.

RNO: That’s why the flights were so full?

Ian: Yes.

Teri: To Dar es Salaam.

Ian: It was like a nightmare.

RNO: So you and the Guidos staying at the counter didn’t actually have an effect on the outcome?

Ian: None whatsoever.

Teri: If you watch, we were also put on priority standby, but I guess their priority must have been higher than ours.

(Both laugh.)

Teri: Eric & Danielle were also put on priority standby. They were the first ones upstairs, and they, too, did not make the flight.

RNO: Teri, how much did you hate spending two nights in a row at airports?

Teri: Didn’t it show on my face?!?

RNO: Yes, it did!

Teri: It was miserable.

Ian: Trust me, I haven’t seen a look on Teri’s face like that in 25 years. I was not going to get in her way.

RNO: You must have been happy to get out of there when you finally did.

Ian: Yes, certainly, but we would have loved to keep racing.

RNO: Do you think you would have come in last the previous leg if your driver hadn’t made a mistake and taken you to the nail-painting Detour task instead of the coal?

Teri: It wasn’t our driver. Our driver could only go where we told him. Another gentleman on the street helped us and we followed him. We showed him the clue and he looked at the address on the top, where the nails were, not the bottom for the coal where Ian decided he wanted to go. So it was the person who was helping us; it was his mistake. And thank goodness he made it, because not only did I not have to get all coaly, but it was easy and we came in third. We would have been in Joyce & Uchenna’s shoes had we not.

RNO: The nail painting looked like it was much easier.

Teri: Much easier.

Ian: It was really a hoot.

Teri: I saw those guys come in with coal – black from head to toe.

RNO: Were Danny & Oswald upset when they realized the manicure challenge was actually easier?

Ian: They might have [been], but they never related anything to us.

RNO: Do you think your “stop, look, and listen” mantra helped you be better racers on both races?

Ian: Yes and no. In the first race, we didn’t start “stop, looking, and listening” until the third or fourth leg because we were so on an adrenaline rush to be on the race. It took a lot of thinking to settle down on the race, and once we did we ran a fine race.

RNO: Did you learn anything from your first race that changed what you did on All-Stars?

Ian: I wouldn’t say we learned anything. We never formed any alliances on the first race because nobody wanted to be with the old people. But because of that, probably we were able to do a lot better because everyone was focusing on the “twin hunt” and Ian & Teri just kept racing.

RNO: You raced all the way to second place.

Ian: The oldest team to ever finish the race.

RNO: Very impressive! How did you prepare for All-Stars?

Ian: Teri goes to the gym every day. I go out and do a 10- to 20-mile bike ride. I lift weights at home. We’re just active people. I really think that if you’re of average physical ability and you have a mental mindset that you’re just going to go out there and race and never quit, anybody can go out there and run the race.

RNO: Were there any teams that really irritated you on All-Stars?

Ian: No, not really. Everybody has their own race. We had our own race. We went out there with three things in mind. One, to have fun, which I think you saw us do. Two, to race with dignity and grace, and I think we did that well.

RNO: Ian, you told the other teams at Elimination Station that Danny & Oswald didn’t have character or honor. What was going on with the flight bookings with them?

Ian: Well, first of all, I’ve got to apologize to them because it was the travel agent that did the screw-up, not them. We were all in the travel agency together. We allowed them to get in front of us and arrange tickets for everyone, and obviously I don’t speak Spanish, but I can read a little bit of Spanish. When the tickets were issued and we left, I looked down at my ticket and saw our tickets were not confirmed tickets. So I became a little bit concerned about it. We got the taxi to turn around and went back to the travel agency, and the travel agent flat-out lied to us. And we knew at that point that it was the travel agent, not Ozzy & Danny. But there was always a little bit of suspicion about it in my mind, but as time went on I found out that they did race with honor and that was a mistake I made.

RNO: Was there anything you saw watching the All-Stars episodes that surprised or shocked you?

Ian: I was kind of surprised by some of the teams saying such negative things about other teams. I thought that was improper, but again, everyone runs their own race.

Teri: I think it was about the same thing. I think everybody did their best to win.

RNO: You guys took paper underwear again on the race. How important do you think it is to get your packs as light as possible before the race?

Ian: I think it’s very important because it’s something that makes life easier for you. We went out ten pounds lighter, per pack, this time than we did last time. And they were much smaller packs.

RNO: I noticed Rob & Amber’s packs were very small.

Teri: Theirs were teeny, but it didn’t help them! What are you going to do, right?

Ian: This race is luck anyhow.

RNO: It seemed to us, as viewers, that you two got along even better on the race this time. Was this true? Or were you just edited differently?

Ian: I think it’s probably being edited differently. I think we were just as cohesive in the first race as this one, but if you remember, they made us look a little ugly – well, me a little ugly – in the first three or four legs of the race, but then we went to Vietnam and they just changed my whole personality.

RNO: The way it was edited, it made it seem like you had this revelation in Vietnam after going back after your experiences in the war. Was it really a moving experience?

Ian: Very. Very moving.

RNO: Was that one of the most memorable moments of the races for you?

Ian: Sure. We came in first twice in Vietnam, too.

RNO: You’ve been married for 25 years, is that right?

Ian: Almost 26.

RNO: Congratulations. Has running the Amazing Race changed your relationship in any way?

Ian: No, I don’t think so. We’re a life team. No matter what you might have seen, a little bickering here and there on the first race, Teri and I are a team.

RNO: How old are your kids?

Ian: I have one from a previous marriage, he’s 28. He’s career Army. He just got done serving two tours in Iraq and it looks like he’s going back in October.

RNO: Oh! That’s hard.

Ian: Yes, it is. We have a 20-year-old in college and a 15-year-old that just started high school this year.

RNO: What do they think about seeing you two on The Amazing Race?

Ian: I think they thought it was pretty cool. The 20-year-old was pretty nonchalant about it. My Army son was very enthusiastic about it. He got home while we were racing. And my 15-year-old thought it was very cool as well.

RNO: How did you like Elimination Station?

Ian: It was 250 yards from where we spent our honeymoon. It was fabulous. We honeymooned in Las Parisis in Acapulco and this villa was just below it. Maybe 2, 300 yards.

RNO: So was it like a second honeymoon?

Ian: It was, but we would much rather have been racing.

RNO: Are you friends with any of the teams from your first race?

Ian: Pretty much so, yes. It’s become a big family.

RNO: How about on All-Stars? Did you come away with any friendships from this race?

Ian: We’re friends – as much as I may have probably pissed off Danny & Oswald at this point, we really like them and we really like Joe & Bill, the Guidos. Mary & David were very nice. Everyone was pretty much great.

RNO: Do you have a favorite moment from All-Stars?

Ian: Favorite moment... I liked the rafting a lot. Teri going into the water with a smile on her face was cool.

RNO: And she hung on! I was impressed.

Ian: Hey, Teri’s an awesome lady!

RNO: Do you have a favorite moment, Teri?

Teri: I don’t know. Just making it there and getting through it as far as we did was good. It was beautiful.

RNO: Anything else you’d like to tell us about your race?

Teri: We wish that we were still going to be on next week! But what are you going to do?

RNO: You can tell from the race how much you love each other and you always raced smart. It was fun watching you on both races!

IGN TV: Overall, how did this experience compare to your first time on the race?

Teri: Well, our first time we came in second, so obviously that was better there. And I don't know, maybe it was because we were in the race longer, but we certainly have what I perceive to be stronger bonds with those people than we might [with the All-Stars teams]. Although we do have the time with Bill & Joe, and we'll see what happens in the future.

Hope she didn't slip up and mean Sequesterville! Of course, she could have been referring to the dhow trip....

At 53 and 54 respectively, married parents Teri and Ian Pollack were the oldest team competing in CBS' The Amazing Race: All-Stars. While they finished second on The Amazing Race's third season, some flight misfortune in Africa sent them packing as the fifth team eliminated from All-Stars.

On Monday, the homemaker and retired police lieutenant from Palm City, FL talked to Reality TV World about spending more than 12 hours in an airport; what it was liked to tame some Chilean rapids; as well as how Sequesterville helped lead them down memory lane.

Reality TV World: Seeing as how the "inconvenience" of sleeping at the airport didn't affect the time you departed Maputo, do you think the decision was worth the fatigue it might have caused?

Ian: I don't think it really caused any more fatigue then we would have had anyhow. By the time we would have gotten back to the Pit Stop and laid down in a bed, three hours later we would have been up to be back at the airport. So it's probably just better to lay down there and sleep. Although Teri wanted to go back. Obviously, you saw that the decision was made to stay [at the airport].

Reality TV World: Teri, was the only reason you wanted to go back to the Pit Stop was to be more well rested?

Teri: I just felt it would be more comfortable than staying in the airport. We had hours to kill and I didn't think that it mattered.

Reality TV World: Later, when you were trying to get on the 11:45AM South African Airlines flight from Maputo to Johannesburg, why did you decide to stay in line with Joe Baldassare and Bill Bartek instead of going up to the airlineâ€™s office with the four other teams?

Ian: Well first of all, we didn't know they were going up there. Second of all, we believed that the rule of 'First in line gets served first' works better. Unfortunately for us, it didn't work out.

Reality TV World: What was your reaction when you found that Maputo airport decision cost you a spot on the connecting Air Tanzania flight from Johannesburg to Dar Es Salaam?

Teri: I don't believe that it cost us the place because as you know, [Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner] went up there as well and they were the first ones in that office and they did not get on that flight either. So it was something else that kept us off that flight.

Reality TV World: Do you think it was unfair that Eric and Danielle were placed on priority standby for the next day's 9:55AM South African Airlines flight while you two had to wait for another flight with Joe and Bill?

Teri: We were on the same standby flight as they were. It was just a matter of who was standing closer to the agent when he said he had a couple of more seats. Unfortunately, Eric's arms are longer than mine.

Reality TV World: So that's all it came down to, they were just closer to the ticket counter at that time?

Teri: That's correct.

Reality TV World: Given you'd made a point of being first at the check-in counter back in Maputo, how did Eric and Danielle manage to get to the Johannesburg check-in counter before you the next morning?

Ian: We all slept on the floor together within 20 feet of each other. What really basically happened was we had a conversation the night before with Eric and Danielle, and what Teri and I decided that if it really came down to one team getting on the flight, we were going to let Eric and Danielle do it. They're younger people, they certainly needed the money more than we did. It was just the right thing to do. If they were there first, we were not going to argue. And they were in line probably about a minute before we were and we were not gonna argue with them about places in line.

Reality TV World: Did you feel confident having Joe and Bill with you as insurance?

Ian: Well you know it didn't feel safe with just Bill and Joe there. It would have been nice to have [Eric and Danielle] there. I think if [Eric and Danielle, Joe and Bill and us] would have been there on the same flight that it would have been a more competitive finish. Unfortunately it wasn't.

Reality TV World: Teri, Charla commented you frequently mentioned how you wanted to fly to Miami and go home. What was behind those comments considering last night was the first we heard of it?

Teri: I had never mentioned it before, it was just that when we had been in that airport all night and there were no flights to get to Dar Es Salaam, I was like finished. I said, "You know, well. If I can't get a flight there, maybe I can get a flight to Miami." It was said more in guest than anything else and it was something to fly with I guess.

Reality TV World: Do you think the problems you had putting the puzzle together during the sixth legâ€™s Detour cost you in the end?

Teri: Well of course it cost us because we were in a race with Bill and Joe at that point. They did put the puzzle together before we did, and therefore did finish before us and we were eliminated and they were not.

Reality TV World: How far behind Joe and Bill did you reach the Pit Stop?

Teri: Five minutes at the most.

Reality TV World: Did they tell you guys how far behind Charla and Mirna were you?

Teri: We assumed we were at least 12 to 24 hours behind them at that time.

Reality TV World: Driving back to Maputo during the fifth leg, your driver took a wrong turn following Eric and Danielleâ€™s vehicle. Did you really think they took the right turn to Maputo or did you just want to stay close to other teams to ensure you weren't way behind?

Ian: They did take the right turn... and we did take the right turn. What happened is, as we went up that street we went about six blocks too far from the next turn we were supposed to make. We immediately stopped and asked directions, and were back at the [clue] box. We were very surprised later to learn that at that box, we were the last to get to that box. That was very surprising for us.

Reality TV World: The fifth leg's Detour was quite serendipitous for you guys. You originally planned to do "Porter," but after reading the clue incorrectly and traveling to the Maputo Central Market, the site of "Pamper," you decided to paint nails and finished the leg in third place. Do you think you would have finished last had you not accidentally ended up at the wrong Detour challenge?

Teri: Definitely.Ian: Definitely. But we didn't read the clue wrong. What happened is we solicited some help from a local person as to where to go to do ["Porter"]. And he was looking at the clue, and took us to the wrong location. What happened is we ran into [Maputo Central Market] and realized we were at the wrong location and ran out the back of the market and we were going to run to ["Porter"] and then realized we had a mile, mile-and-a-half to get there, so we started running back for the vehicle then got back to the market we decided just to do ["Pamper"].

Reality TV World: Was "Pamper" a little easier than you thought it was going to be?

Ian: Yes it was. I did not know that in that country men usually paint nails. So I thought I was going to have a very hard time doing it. As it turned out, we were only trying to do it for five or six minutes when we found these two young ladies that were very cooperative.

Reality TV World: You guys haggled with the person at the airport ticket counter at the beginning of the fourth leg, which landed you the final spot on the first flight to Punta Arenas. What prompted you to try your luck even though they originally told you the flight was full?

Teri: If you ask nicely, you never know what will happen. There seems to always be some seat. They thought that it was full, they thought it was closing out. He just checked and found out there were more seats for us. We were very lucky.

Reality TV World: Do you think it had any bearing on where you finished the leg?

Teri: I'm trying to remember the spot... It must have because what really made the difference there was we did "Navigate It" in that round and not "Sign It."

Reality TV World: That leads to my next question, we saw what choosing "Sign It" instead of "Navigate It" at the fourth leg's Detour did to Rob and Amber Mariano. What led you to chose "Navigate It?"

Ian: When we read the clue [for "Sign It"], it was very clear you had to build something versus "Navigate It." And I know how to navigate. I know how to use a compass. And it just seemed like the smarter way to go. It might have been more distance we had to cover... looking at the teams picking up all the equipment to build [for "Sign It"], it just did not seem like the sensible choice to us.

Reality TV World: Ian you said you were "shocked" when Rob and Amber were eliminated? Was that the general consensus?

Ian: I don't know what the other people really felt... I was rather shocked. But what it really came down to was [Rob and Amber] at most Detours were doing both Detours. They'd choose one, not be able to complete it, then go choose the other one. And that finally just caught up to them and I was sad to see that happen.

Reality TV World: You guys formed a loose alliance at the beginning of the third leg with Dustin Seltzer and Kandice Pelletier because you called them "strong racers" Teri. Was forming alliances part of your All-Stars strategy?

Teri: No we never had plans to form alliances. I mean you work with people at a period of time and that's it. In our first race [The Amazing Race 3] nobody would form an alliance with us because they thought we were the old ones, we would just fall behind and be eliminated. So we knew that alliances were not the way to go.

Reality TV World: Teri and Ian, you exchanged some words with Charla and Mirna at the airport ticket counter in Santiago during the third leg. Ian how did it feel to have Mirna call you "the king of rude?"

Ian: Well you know I'm not going to say anything negative about them. They raced their race, we raced our race. We tried to race with grace and dignity, and I respect anybody else's way of racing. What they were basically trying to do was tie-up our ticket agent while Charla got the tickets from another ticket agent. We didn't like that... we didn't think that was very nice. But that was their method of racing and I respect that. We chose not to do stuff like that.

Reality TV World: Teri, what was it like being the only racer knocked out of the raft during the third leg's Detour?

Teri (laughing): Well at the time I didn't know I was the only one... but Ian said it as a good thing that I fell in the water to get some of that fish smell off of me [a reference to the third leg's Roadblock]. It was all part of the fun... rafting is fun and even falling in the water was just part of the show... part of the feel.Ian: I'll tell you, she came out of that water with a big smile on her face from ear to ear. She loved it.

Reality TV World: Was there any kind of initial concern when you hit the water?

Teri: I knew that I'd be fine. I did have a hold onto the rope onto the raft the whole time so I didn't drift away. But I've been rafting before, and if you fall out of the raft they tell you what to do. And I was lucky that I managed to grab onto the line and I didn't in fact go down the rapids without the boat... thank goodness.

Reality TV World: Would you of jumped in after her Ian if you had to?

Ian: Actually I reached for her to try to grab her and the guide yelled at me to stop, that he would take care of it. he ran over there and grabbed her by the life vest and started pulling her into the boat, and I just grabbed her arm with the ore... and she was back in the boat. This was seconds... I mean she was in the water and out of the water so quick it was the blink of an eye.

Reality TV World: Ian, despite your "attention to detail" as a former private investigator and police lieutenant, you struggled and finished last during All-Stars' first Roadblock. Did you feel nervous that your observation skills might fail you during the competition?

Ian: Which Roadblock are we talking about... in the boardroom? You know, they described that in my opinion wrong to us. They said, "someone with great observation skills." That was a puzzle. Teri is a puzzle person. What happened to me when I went in there and realized it was a puzzle I started to short circuit a little bit, saying, "My God. This is something Teri should be doing, she's so good at puzzles." But then, poor [Joyce Agu] was there... she was the first person there and she was struggling. I had been there about 20 minutes or so and she came up to me and said, "Look. We're the last two here... there's only a few people left here, what would you say if I find it I'll give it to you and if you find it you'll give it to me." And I said, "Fine." That was no problem at all... then a light went on in her head, she got it. I've got a lot of respect for her... she honored her word and she gave it to me.

Reality TV World: What was your reaction when you saw Kevin O'Connor and Drew Feinberg driving so slow on the way to the second legâ€™s Pit Stop? Did you ever consider that you might be speeding and would be penalized?

Ian: We read the clue right... we had the information in our hand and it said when you were out of the Valley of the Moon, you could then follow the posted speed limit. They just didn't get it.

Reality TV World: During All-Stars were you guys aware the other racers were discounting your ability due to your age?

Ian: No I wasn't really aware of that. I mean we assumed that they'd figure we were old people and they could run us into the ground, but we beat some pretty formidable team in [both All-Stars and The Amazing Race 3].

Reality TV World: Do you think being older than the rest of the racers was an advantage or disadvantage in the Race?

Ian: I think it was definitely an advantage. We're well traveled people, we have a mind set of never throw in the towel, and we embrace foreign travel, whether it's third world or modern world... it doesn't matter. We enjoy it all.

Reality TV World: How did you guys end up being part of the All-Stars?

Teri: We got the call, they asked if we'd be interested and enough time had passed so I had obviously forgotten how heavy it was carrying your own backpack and we said absolutely. I mean who wouldn't just fall over themselves to have a second shot at doing one of the most fabulous things that you've ever been able to do.Ian: Here's a good one for you. I was an undercover police officer for my whole career -- from the investigative to the command level -- which is a pretty invigorating experience. But I have to say that running The Amazing Race is absolutely the most invigorating experience of my life.

Reality TV World: Did you consider yourselves all-stars?

Teri: We hoped.Ian: We hoped we were all-stars. We think we went out there and acted like all-stars. We went out there to have fun and race with dignity and grace and I think we accomplished that.Teri: How could we not be considered all-stars... we did finish second in our season by a minute or two.

Reality TV World: Was there anybody you were surprised to see or not see?

Ian: We were hoping to see [The Amazing Race 5 runner-ups Colin Guinn and Christie Woods] and a few other teams...Teri: We were sad not to be racing with several of the teams from our first race... [Ken and Gerard Duphiney], [Flo Pesenti and Zach Behr], anybody. Anybody from our first race.Ian: We were absolutely in shock when [fellow The Amazing Race 3 contestants John Vito Pietanza and Jill Aquilino] got eliminated first... we really hoped they'd have gone further with us.

Reality TV World: How was All-Stars different from your first Race? Did you plan on doing anything different the second time around?

Ian: No we didn't plan on doing anything differently, but it was definitely a different type of race. The Amazing Race 3 is much different than the All-Stars... I like to refer to the All-Stars as The Amazing Race: Survivor because there was a lot more sleep deprivation, a lot more discomfort... there was a lot more of just not having any type of creature comforts.

Reality TV World: How did your children react when you told them you were doing it again?

Ian: My 15-year-old said, "Cool." My 20-year-old said, "Oh well." And my 28-year-old -- who was in Iraq at the time -- was very proud of us.

Reality TV World: Do you think they'd be happy with the way you guys ran the race?

Ian: Well we haven't spoken to them since the episode last night... but we know they're proud of us.

Reality TV World: Who did you consider your biggest competition and why?

Ian: I probably... you know, they were all formidable teams. You just look at them all. I really believe that The Amazing Race is about 80% to 85% luck and the rest is skill. If you're of average physical ability, and you have a mind set that you're not going to quit, you have an opportunity to win this race.

Reality TV World: Who would you like to see win? Anybody you wouldn't want to see win?

Ian: Doesn't matter...

Reality TV World: How was Sequesterville? Were Rob and Amber especially bitter?

Ian: No they weren't. They were very nice people. Nothing negative to say about them... I found them to be very nice. Amazingly enough, Sequesterville was 250 yards approximately from where Teri and I spent our honeymoon 25 years ago.

Reality TV World: Wow, so that must have been nice for you then?

Ian: Real nice.

Reality TV World: How's everything going in your life now?

Ian: Everything's going great. I'm a political activist trying to fight in my home county in Martin County, Florida to stop over development and urban sprawl, save the Indian River Lagoon, the Everglades Restoration Project, Lake Okeechobee... so that pretty much keeps a lot of my time going. We're trying to save something of old Florida.

Reality TV World: Everything's going fine with you too Teri?

Teri: Yes it is. You know what they say, "Traveling is wonderful, but there's no place like home."

The Guidos on the Early Show. webpage (http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2636469n), video (http://video.cgi.cbsnews.com/vplayer3/play.pl?type=rm&width=480&height=360&feat=vplayer&adtype=pre&arena=video&prod=vplayer&adv=o&id=2636469n&ord=5254.742309672772)

Joe Bassidere and Bill Bartek (aka Team Guido) are one of the most notable teams in Amazing Race history. They were a significant part of what made the show a hit in its first season and they were welcome members of All-Stars. unfortunately (thanks to some brutal airport travails), Joe and Bill were eliminated from The Amazing Race on last night's two-hour episode. Below, you will find both the transcript for the interview and the full audio file.When you were contacted by the producers about maybe being a part of The Amazing Race: All-Stars, what was your reaction? Was there any hesitation on your part?

Joe: No, we had been hoping and anticipating that there would be an Amazing Race All-Stars for a couple of years and then we we were hoping that once it became clear that it was going to happen that we were praying that it would be us as one of the selected teams. We hopped on it right away.

Were there any teams that you had wished would a part of All-Stars that weren't?

Joe: No, I think we were pretty happy with the group that was there.

Bill: We won't name names, but before the race started we made a pecking order of who we thought could make it and who couldn't make it. We felt we still had a good chance. Little did we know that we that we were going to have killer fatigue and knee pain so early in the race...we're too old farts and it sort of played a part in our race.

Joe: I think we selected our list ...we kind of whittled it down to 11 or 12 teams that we thought were the likely candidates, and, like Amazing Race 1, we were about 50% correct. And then the rest of them were surprises.

On last night's episode, especially in the first hour, being stuck in the Kilimanjaro airport, was that the worst stretch of Race you guys had ever been on?

Bill: I'll tell you what Oscar. We had sort of already had a really bad stretch coming out of Puto, going into Zqanaibar and Dar Es Salaam and that was bad but we were like “We can recover now, and we're on our way,” and then to get hit with that and get stuck in Kilimanjaro it really broke our spirits, it was tough. Because we really would've been there during the day time with everybody; we would've been in 10, 11 o'clock in Warsaw. So, we knew we were going to really be way behind the other teams again.

Joe: That held us up for approximately another 8 hours. It was really bad news and when you see me running outside...the deal was Dani and I were just like going crazier about the situation than Joe or Eric. What I wanted to do even worse, what Dani and I actually decided to do...we were going to run outside and go up these staircases and into the airplane and talk to the pilot. And the guy with KLM, he wasn't really helping us, he was just kind of giving us the brush off. And what it really comes down to is Air Tanzania does not cooperate with KLM with informing them that their flights are going to be late so KLM can hold their flights for the connecting passengers. So, Dani and I had agreed that we were going to run out there and talk to the pilot. I mean, we could see him through the window there. At the last minute when we went out she chickened out and Bill had reminded me that this was the same airport where Colin (of Colin and Christy) had almost been thrown in jail. I became really aware that I didn't want to get thrown in jail.

Watching the episodes at home, was there anything edited out that you wish they had shown?

Joe: There was a lot more barfing than you saw. Oh boy, that was really...a couple of those beer barrels were half full.

Bill: Yeah, Joe was the only one who really just ate it and ate it quickly and got up and was fine. All of the rest of us threw up. There were complete detours that got edited out, last night and one other time before that. You know, there's always things that get filmed of you that you either think are hilarious or really stunning or earth-shattering or whatever and it turns out that it doesn't even get in.

You guys have anything coming up, personally, in the near future?

Joe: No, we're pretty much happy to be in one piece after the race, and we're going back to our gorgeous Southern Caifornia lifestyle, we love it there. We're always open to any ideas out there, things to do. We're always happy to be a part of charitable functions and organizations and that's pretty much it. We're just heading back to our great lives. We've been together twenty years now. We just feel really fortunate to have been included and we're just going to go back to our lives and we're done with it for now.

INTERVIEW: Joe Baldassare and Bill Bartek dish on 'All-Stars' adventureBy Christopher Rocchio, 04/02/2007 Joe Baldassare and Bill Bartek placed third on the original The Amazing Race in 2001, but couldn't crack the Top 5 on the currently airing All-Stars edition.

On Monday, the 56-year-old mineral trading company owner and 53-year-old realtor, both from Laguna Niguel, CA talked to Reality TV World about how they reall feel about some of their competition; what it was like to participate in different versions of The Amazing Race six years apart; and how Sequesterville was non-existent for them.

Reality TV World: How was racing in the All-Stars edition different from competing on The Amazing Race's very first season?

Bill: From the first season, I think the biggest difference was the couple of new facets to the race, which were the Intersection and the Yield. The Intersection not so much a big part, but the Yield really played a lot into our strategy. We were the villians in Season One, and it didn't matter what the heck we did to other teams. But we realized this season we needed to be very careful how we interacted with other teams and keep a lower profile then we did in the first season because we knew we couldn't get away with some of that stuff. That played a lot into seeing the kinder, gentler Guidos... we were trying to be a little more under the radar because we didn't want to people to single us out knowing we were the villains from the first season. And also helping some of the other teams showed we are willing to work with other teams. We didn't want a group of people to say, "The Guidos should go because they're the villains."

Joe: Certainly production, the crew, all the staffers that follow us along were a lot bigger than The Amazing Race 1. Another thing that Bill and I in particular had to catch-up fast on was the fact that on The Amazing Race 1, once you buy and pay for your airplane tickets [for] some place, you were done. You couldn't change your tickets or turn them in and take another flight so you really had to do all your homework first and then decide what the best. Somewhere around The Amazing Race 4 or 5, they changed the rules where you could buy tickets -- keep buying fully-refundable tickets -- and you could buy as many tickets as you wanted going from one place to another. So as a result, say when we were in Johannasburg, you're just buying and buying and buying and buying tickets trying to get to Dar Es Salaam... we spent 28 hours in the Johannasburg airport before we finally got out. Believe it or not, I had more than $50,000 worth of airplane tickets in my backpack. We had maxed out two people's Visa cards just buying tickets trying to get out of there. That's really different from the way we had originally played the game way back in 2001. The way we did it before also allowed you to take a break and rest and relax for a little while because you know you've already made a choice and there's nothing else to do except wait for your flight to leave, versus this way, you're constantly working and working and working it.

Reality TV World: What did you think about the fact that, unlike the first season, The Amazing Race's "clues" aren't really "clues" anymore but instead just instructions? Which did you prefer?

Joe: I kind of like the old way a little bit better where you had to figure out what the clue was saying and it was more of a riddle and you really had to think about what it was and what it meant. I think it was much more interesting and harder.

Reality TV World: Did you have any idea what you were getting into during your first season?

Bill: No... when I clicked on the button on the CBS website it wasn't even called The Amazing Race, it was called the CBS Summer Global Adventure series. That was like a clue. This was a brand-new concept, and it really was the first time a television production was going to be on the road going around the world. It was the first thing of its kind. It had never been done before. It was very evident from the very first day. I guess from the very first Pit Stop when they had to send a cameraman home because he got so sick. people were getting hurt, people were breaking cameras... you could tell that production was struggling to find their footing, what they needed to do to make this whole thing work.Joe: Literally, we had a meeting at midnight the night before we left [on The Amazing Race 1]. They pulled everybody down -- some people came in bathrobes and slippers -- and [co-creator and executive producer Bertram van Munster] explained to us the rules and we instantly had to memorize what the difference between a Detour and a Roadblock, this and that, and you just go back and go to sleep and you're leaving in the morning. Here we are flying to South Africa, thinking "Bill, do you remember what a Detour is? What's the difference between that and a Roadblock?" We didn't even know what the words meant.Bill: It really was... I mean you got that feeling we all bonded. We're still friends with everybody from that season that's still in production. They're very, very impartial (laughing)... [but] we're still very close with all those people.

Reality TV World: Your first race was the only one that was ever filmed in a pre-9/11 world. Did you find the travel any different? Did you have any new safety concerns?

Bill: We had to definitely not bring anything that was sharp, we couldn't bring any liquids. Liquids are probably one of the nice things you can do for yourself on the road. Something that simple, you couldn't bring it from one country to another. When you have very little resources to begin with and you have to buy a bottle of water... you just had to be very careful what you did and how you spent your money and how you packed your bags.Joe: There was one place where we basically had to unpack the backpacks completely and then repack it on fold-out counters. That was tough... and you're anxious to get there and you're stressed out and you really don't want to have to go through stuff like that. It just stresses you out even more.

Reality TV World: You addressed this a little before, but what happened to the first season's "Evil Guidos?" Was your behavior part of a change in strategy? If so, what was the new strategy?

Joe (laughing): Who were the "Evil Guidos?" We definitely wanted to project a kindler and gentler Guido here.

Reality TV World: Do you think you achieved that?

Joe: Actually I think we did. We were probably somewhat anonymous for the most part...Bill (laughing): Maybe a little too kindler and gentler.Joe: For one thing, it's a thrill to do this and be on TV. But it's kind of like a kick in the teeth when you see yourself and everybody hates you. It's a big downer sometime. So we didn't really want to go through that again, and also the first The Amazing Race we were no worse than anybody else, we just got edited that way. I'm not saying we didn't do the things that we did [but] other people did things too, which you never saw.Bill: The camera never lies... it just tells its own story.Joe: On this one also, because of things like the Yield and the Intersection and stuff like that, we knew in advance that we couldn't play the game that hard with so little thought of what people thought of us along the way because we might actually need these people sometimes. It would be really tough if we had to stand at an Intersection and keep waiting for a team because nobody wants to work with us. Or we get yielded at every oportunity because everybody hates us. So we really tried to keep a low-profile for the first half of the Race -- which is basically where we were [when we got eliminated] -- and then kick it up a notch for the second half, which we didn't quite get to.

Reality TV World: After being stuck in an airport with Teri and Ian Pollack for a good part of the sixth leg, what was your initial reaction when you learned you were stuck with the same fate in Kilamanjaro?

Joe: That was pratically the nail in the coffin (Bill groans). That really... we had just gone through 28 hours in Johannasburg's airport and now we haven't caught up with the rest of the teams, but at least we were equal with [Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner], so at least there were two of us at the back [of the pack.] You feel some kind of cold comfort with that. And then to have this Kilamanjaro airport fiasco happen to you -- knowing full well it only puts you another eight hours behind everybody else -- it really was a huge, huge downer. That was really, really hard. And then to compound it, when we finally do get to Warsaw, we're trying to fight our way back into the middle and we get the world's dumbest cab driver... he doesn't even know where the biggest park in his own hometown is!Bill: The biggest problem with the cab drivers is they're not always from where you think they are. They may not even live in the city you're getting a ride in. So if you ask for something as obscure as a little monument, they probably know where all the major streets are, but they don't know monuments and parks... you have to give them a little credit. Joe: And the language barrier was horrendous. Nobody spoke English. I'm half Polish, but I didn't really learn any as a kid. I was kicking myself in the teeth for that.

Reality TV World: Did you get nightmare flashbacks to what happened in Alaska during your first The Amazing Race season?

Bill (laughing): We just had flashback after flashback... don't remind us.

Reality TV World: How long do you think it took you to find the clue inside the mannequin at the seventh leg's "Perfect Angle" Detour?

Bill: That was awful.Joe: You are the first person to ask that.Bill: Do you have telepathy or something? There was this one point where they were recording the woman saying, "No. No." And we thought, "I know what they [the editors] are going to do. They're going to string all those no's together."Joe: We must have spent at least 45 minutes to an hour at the x-ray place. And everytime you take an x-ray everybody has to leave the room, then you have to come back in, we had these led aprons on top [our] jackets, so we're getting hot flipping this guy [the mannequin] over.

Reality TV World: Do you think if you had chosen "Perfect Pitch" you could have finished before Danielle and Eric, or do you not know much about the piano?

Bill: It wasn't that, it was just that we were so deep into this thing. It was one of those things where we should have just said, "Okay. We're over this and we're going to leave." But we had already spent so much time just looking for the place.Joe: It actually all started looking for the Escada boutique to find the mannequin.Bill: There are three Escada boutiques... go figure.

Reality TV World: When you found you were "marked for elimination," Joe you didn't sound to optimistic. Did you really think there was a chance you'd be able to overcome the deficit and win?

Joe: Well absolutely. You never know... you never know what's going to happen further down the road. People could make mistakes as big as ours... obviously with [Rob and Amber Marinao], you've seen how easy it is to go from first to last place in one episode. Also with [Mirna Hindoyan and Charla Baklayan Faddoul], having to go from last to first. So we didn't have to be first place the next leg, we just needed to be 30 minutes ahead of somebody else. And that was entirely possible. It actually would have happened had we not made a couple of time-wasting mistakes driving to [Pieskowa Skala Castle]. We probably would have been 30 minutes ahead of Eric and Danielle. That would have saved our necks.

Reality TV World: During "Eat It Up," did it ever cross your mind that Eric and Danielle -- who certainly didn't seem to be big fans of yours and vice versa throughout the rest of the race -- might intentionally go slow knowing that you were "marked for elimination?"

Joe: 100%.Bill: You know that probably did happen.Joe: Eric spent a lot of time with make-believe throw-up and dry heaves... nothing was coming out because you couldn't hear it. He was intentionally turning his back to us so we couldn't see he wasn't really throwing up. So it was all very much intentional I'm sure, but there was nothing we could do about it either. We were stuck with them.Bill: The beauty queens [Dustin Seltzer and Kandice Pelletier] had wanted us to be with them, we just didn't get there before Charla and Mirna unfortunately.

Reality TV World: When you arrived at the eighth leg's Roadblock how close were you to Charla and Mirna?Bill: We were probably... not as close as they made it look.Joe: We were close to them but we probably couldn't have passed them. The one clincher for me there was when we pulled into that road and we could see [Charla and Mirna's] car -- Eric and Danielle were behind us -- we didn't see the beauty queens' car. It raised a possibility in my mind, which was wrong, that maybe the beauty queens got lost and we'd be 30 minutes ahead of them. I wasn't really concentrating on Eric and Danielle that much, I was concentrating on "where are the beauty queens?" I said that to Bill a couple times, "Don't give up. The beauty queens aren't here." Turned out they already checked in. I think they moved their car so we wouldn't see it.

Reality TV World: How far were Eric and Danielle behind you when you reached the Pit Stop?

Bill: When we went to start dressing [in the armor], they actually started dressing ahead of me just by a minute. By the time we were walking -- I got dressed a little faster -- grabbed my horse and started walking. Then I got pretty significantly ahead of him... he was having trouble walking the horse, but significantly at that point was only five minutes.

Joe: At that time no, but we knew they did the Fastforward. We knew that we were the first people doing the eating challenge, so we could only guess they were many hours ahead of us. They had already successfully completed the Fast Forward... I think the beauty queens [were the ones who] told us that.

Reality TV World: At the beginning of the sixth leg, why did you decide to wait at the airport for the ticket counter to open instead of going back to the hotel to rest?

Bill: Maputo was kind of a dangerous city. There really wasn't much to be done late at night because everything was closed. We probably could have gone to an Internet cafe or something but even that would have been a stretch for that small of a town. We just thought it would be taking a chance whereas if we stayed at the airport we'd be first in line. Not everybody was going to be able to have good luck and find an Internet cafe -- I mean they might have -- but we just felt our chances were better staying at the airport.Joe: It was really a confusing situation because we slept on the floor with Teri and Ian and then the beauty queens joined us so we're one, two and three. But in that particular airport you don't go buy your tickets first and then go to some other counter and get a seat assignment, you have to walk over to another counter where seats are assigned, find out if there are seats available on the plane, get a seat assignment first and then walk and buy your ticket. It was completely backwards. And that was the beginning of everything getting all discombobulated. You're number one at one ticket counter, by the time you go over to where the seats are... somebody else is already there so now you're number three. And then you find out you get your seat and you've got to go back over there and now you're in fifth place trying to buy a ticket and it just went on and on and on.

Reality TV World: How excited were you two when you saw Eric and Danielle got booted off the flight from Johannesburg to Dar Es Salaam?

Bill: We were in Joannesburg airport and Joe and I just sat down to eat because we figured this is it, we're stuck here for a while. We actually met some fans and they bought us a beer and some hot dogs because we couldn't afford to buy much. That was really nice... we talked to them. I think we just finished talking to them and we went up to our old table, I was looking over the railing to the floor below, and I saw a glimpse of a green shirt, which is what [Eric] was wearing that day. And I went, "Oh my God! I think I just saw Eric!" And I got up to look over the balcony and sure enough it was them.Joe: We were thrilled.Bill: I jumped up and down, then they cut to Eric saying, "The Guidos just saw us."Joe: Couldn't happen to a nicer couple (laughing).

Reality TV World: Were you confident you'd be able to complete the sixth leg's "Solve It" Detour before Teri and Ian?

Bill: Yeah. I think what happened was we noticed -- even before we got to Dar Es Salaam at the airport in Maputo -- Teri was already freaking out saying, "Okay I want to go home to Miami... just buy me tickets to Miami. I'm out of here." She was just giving up basically. And I told Joe, "All we really need to do is stay calm, think about what we're doing next and I think we've got a good chance because they're stressed out." Teri wanted to leave... it was sort of like Teri just lost it and didn't want to play the game anymore because she was so stressed out. When we got to that Detour, Joe got a really good handle on the board real quick. Those puzzles were painted on both sides. When he said that, I said, "Well I need to seperate them by color." We got organized real quick and stacked everything and Joe took one color and I took another color and we just kept putting pieces in pretty quickly.Joe: You also had to figure out which side of the fish the dorsal fin was on because both fish were swimming upside down. There were three little clues there...Bill: It made it easier if you knew that.Joe: [Teri and Ian] only got two of the clues. They said they didn't realize the fish were painted on both sides. As we were leaving I called out and told them to pay attention to where the dorsal fins are... so Bill was right. I think Teri was kind of ready to go home, ready to call it quits. And when you try to get your second wind after that kind of frame of mind it's real hard to pull it together again.

Reality TV World: Were you guys noticed at all during filming for All-Stars?

Bill: Oh yeah. We were the first team actually -- we can talk about it now -- we were photographed in Ushuaia at a ticket office... We were using a phone, and [someone] saw us and photographed us with their camera phone and they had it posted [on the Internet] within 10 minutes of seeing us. Because everyone knew who the teams might be for All-Stars, but that was the first confirmation that All-Stars was running and we were one of the teams on it. That happened within a couple days of the start.

Reality TV World: When you finished the fifth leg a step ahead of them, Eric told Danielle they were beat by "a bunch of queens," and he referred to you as "old women who are passed their prime." How did hearing that make you feel?

Bill: We don't really understand it completely. I think [Eric] just liked pushing buttons and in his own delusional mind that's how he thinks of us.Joe: At the time we didn't hear any of that... he didn't say any of that to our faces. He said it behind our backs. I have feeling that people who say things like that and people who try to come off as "butch" and "macho" more than anybody else are probably the ones that really have their own issues and they probably have more to hide about their own ***uality than meets the eye. I think there's probably a lot going on there that he [Eric] hasn't come to terms with or hasn't come to grips with so he has to kind of run down other people.

Reality TV World: Are you guys friendly with Eric and Danielle now?

Bill: We talk to them on the phone... it really is not a huge thing to us. We know what can happen during a race like this, you say and do things that maybe you regret later. But whatever. It's not going to keep us from being who we are.Joe: We're fifty-somethings and we came out in the 1970s... some 28-year-old calling us a bunch of queens passed their prime...Bill: Duh!Joe: It's like not worth the breath it makes. And we have just made it easier for all those people -- including [Eric] maybe someday -- to come out [of the closet] (laughing with Bill).

Reality TV World: You arrived in Punta Arenas at the beginning of the fourth leg as one of the two last place teams. How surprised were you when you chose the "Navigate It" Detour and saw Rob and Amber and Dustin and Kandice were still at the same point in the challenge as you?

Joe: That was fun... oh my God, that gave us so much energy. And the funny part about it is Rob really went out of his way a lot so we couldn't look over his shoulder to see what he was doing... like we really needed him to figure out which way was south? When we left that little park, we weren't even using the compass. We just did it from the map, got a good sense of direction, and when we exited that park looking for that nautilus building, I specificaly told Bill, "Look down this street to the left, and if you see water we're going south." And we looked down there, we coould see the bay, we knew exactly where we were.

Reality TV World: What was the mood like when the teams realized Rob and Amber had been eliminated?

Bill: It was wonderful. All the teams were in a dining room waiting for everyone to come in team by team, and we just stood up and applauded when Charla and Mirna came in because we knew at that point they were history. Joe: Have you ever been in Times Sqaure at New Year's Eve? It was like that with only eight people.Bill: It was fun.Joe: We were hooting and hollaring and screaming and cutting it up... and it was Mirna and Charla that did it.Bill: We were like right next to the post office with the beauty queens when this was all going down and we were pretty sure because we could hear Rob being pissed off. It was like, "Uh-oh, I don't think it's going good for them."Joe: We were down a path, and we had to hide so we wouldn't get caught in their shots from their camera crew and they kept telling us we had to be quiet because we were giggling and making so much noise and hooting so much about it that they could probably hear us inside the post office.

Reality TV World: Joe you called yourself "the fish whisperer" during the third leg's Roadblock then didn't read the entire clue at the bottom of the tank. When did you realize your mistake in not reading the part about Petrohue? Do you thin if it wasn't for the fact you ran into Charla and Mirna in town you would have been eliminated?

Joe: We would have been eliminated. I honestly to this day don't know where the name Petrohue was... I call it Petro-huey. I simply didn't see it on the bottom of the pool. I thought I had everything that was there and looking back on it Bill and I have suggested maybe I was standing on that word. So that I didn't read it because I wasn't looking directly underneath my feet for the final piece of the clue. But the clue was written in slort of a big "S" curve, curly "Q" sort of way and there were actually fish painted on the bottom of the pool and stuff like that. So I thought I had the whole thing, and off we go marching then we actually found people who told us they knew what La Maquina was. They told us it was the name of this boat down at the end of the road where this fish hatchery was. So we went down all the way to where this road ended looking for this big boat and thinking that was going to take us out to an island that was the Pit Stop. We were as shocked as anybody (laughing). Had we not found Mirna and Charla on the way back to town -- they had stopped at a hotel and were asking questions and we pulled up behind them -- had we not seen them we'd probably still be looking for it. They saved our necks.Bill: We would have definitely been out.Joe: You saw the look on my face when Mirna said, "You haven't got the whole clue it's lucky you found us." I was just in a little shock and I wanted to ring her neck for saying it on camera. (laughing with Bill)

Reality TV World: Your first season completely skipped South America and Eastern Europe in favor of North Africa and Western Europe. Obviously you didn't get to race the whole thing this time around, but which course did you enjoy more?

Bill: Well I'd say the first one was much more panoramic world view whereas this one was definitely like "Bertram's Boot Camp." You know it's really a rough course -- a good one -- Bertram did the right thing, that was the one to throw at us. It was definitely a curveball because you're kind of expecting to go to these world, historic kind of sites and ancient sites and we really just did the nitty-gritty tour of South America.Joe: [Bertram van Munster] just had every intention of just putting us through the mill. When we were in South America, I'm convinced every contestant was certain we were going to Antarctica. And that was going to be the fulfillment of a The Amazing Race dream because they had never been there. We were all totally convinced that's next after Ushuaia. So when we found out we had to go to Maputo... Yuck!

Reality TV World: Do you consider yourselves all-stars?

Joe: I think we are and I think it's somewhat deserved. I won't say we're the best racers of all-time or whatever, but as [host Phil Keoghan] said in an interview earlier on, they chose it based on the people they thought were the most interesting and had the most interesting stories to tell. I think the combination of Bill and myself pitted against [fellow The Amazing Race 1 contestants and All-Stars Kevin O'Connor and Drew Feinberg] was really the clincher. So as humbling as it was to be called the villains of The Amazing Race 1 -- and to see them as sort of the class clowns of The Aamzing Race 1 and everybody loved them -- had it not been for that relationship, we would not be here now.

Reality TV World: Were you surprised by the shape Kevin and Drew were in for All-Stars?

Bill: We had heard through the grapevine and we do occasionally talk to them that Drew had had some health problems, they both were married now... even Joe and I had trouble with our knees. Sprains, and pulled muscles... we're all six years older.Joe: You know we're the oldest ones. We're older than Teri and Ian.

Reality TV World: Who did you consider your biggest competition?

Bill: I don't think we wanted to say anyone in particular because they all were strong. I really think everybody was pretty... we had guessed that about 50% of those people were going to be cast and any one of us could have been the winner. You saw Rob and Amber go out on kind of a minor technicality -- the way they got sidetracked, the same thing could happen to any team no matter how strong they are.Joe: I think starting out, certainly we would have considered Rob and Amber as sort of the primo competition there. It's nothing else other than they're really clever, crafty people, but they've also got the level of notoriety where everybody knows them locally and are willing and able to help them.

Reality TV World: Were there any teams you were surprised didn't make All-Stars?

Joe: Actually there was [The Amazing Race 5 runner-ups Colin Guinn and Christie Woods]... I was also surprised not to see the clowns [The Amazing Race 4 Ringling Brothers circus clowns Jon Weiss and Al Rios] and bowling moms [The Amazing Race 5 Linda Ruiz and Karen Heins]. Those are people I was certain was going to be on. We had a lot of respect for them and they also were real loveable people on prior The Amazing Races... especially the bowling moms... I thought for certain people like that would be included... I was kind of shocked.

Reality TV World: A lot of the eliminated racers have mentioned Colin and Christie as the answer to that question. Any reason why?

Bill: They're probably some of the best racers in the show's history... even though they didn't win their season. They were pretty hard competition to beat.Joe: They came way close to winning. They were way up at the top of practically every leg. Nobody tried harder then Colin and eventually as [The Amazing Race 5 winner Chip McAllister] said, "Colin's going to beat himself." And he did.

Reality TV World: How was Sequesterville?

Bill and Joe laughing...Bill: That's a very good question. We're not sure about that... can we talk about Sequesterville?Joe: We didn't go. We were the very first dummy team [that continued to travel around the world and try and throw off local Race witnesses by doing a lot of the same tasks that the other still competing teams were also doing].Bill: The decoys...Joe (laughing): Decoys, not dummy team.

Reality TV World: What was with the matching outfits? How much did all that "Team Guido" gear cost you guys?

Joe: About $600 each... that's not that bad.

Reality TV World: Was it worth it?

Bill: Looking in the mirror each morning as a racer we looked like hell... no we don't dress alike.

Reality TV World: How are things going now for The Guidos?

Bill (laughing): What do you suggest? We're ready.Joe: We're not counting on anything but if something happens that's great.

When we were in South America, I'm convinced every contestant was certain we were going to Antarctica. And that was going to be the fulfillment of a The Amazing Race dream because they had never been there. We were all totally convinced that's next after Ushuaia. So when we found out we had to go to Maputo... Yuck!

Oh yeah, guys! I'm with you!

And I would have thought they would have had a couple of days off! But guess really it was only a week till the finale.....

Funny nobody saw any of those teams doing anything after all! (We hope!)

I've been following the ratings and although I have no idea in hell how to read them, people are saying that they are bad! I hope this doesn't mean no TAR12....

This week was below average and yeah the other networks had reruns from what I read but HBO had the Sopranos premiere so I don't know if that mattered? And stop saying TAR 12 hasn't been picked up :meow: ! From what I understand CBS hasn't put out the Fall schedule yet and all we know is that Survivor for sure is picked up for two more seasons.

On the Bubble: The Amazing Race (if it can’t find a spot in the fall, it could come back next summer), The Class (probably gone from CBS due to lack of openings but could, and should, find a home at ABC), How I Met Your Mother (should be safe but the CBS execs hate it, maybe ABC will pick it up), Jericho (doing fine but CBS has so few spots), The New Adventures of Old Christine (I’m pretty sure either this or Mother will be canceled, hopefully it will be this show), The Unit (there hasn’t been any buzz about it being canceled but it is probably one of CBS’ weaker procedurals)

Ucheena & Joyce on the Early Show.Video (http://video.cgi.cbsnews.com/vplayer3/play.pl?type=rm&width=320&height=240&feat=vplayer&adtype=pre&arena=video&prod=eyebox&adv=a&id=2662834n&ord=32397.933230537186)webpage (http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/earlyshow/main500202.shtml)

Someone at Twop's noted that last week Lyn & Alex gave away the Uchenna & Joyce elimination and sure enough they are giving away the Cha's...slide the >> about half way or so. Also lots of Izad and friends in the beginning of the video :)http://www.realityremix.tv/video.php

^^ Actually they were shocked at the Romber elim and said nice things about them.INTERVIEW: Uchenna and Joyce Agu discuss their 'All-Stars' race

By Christopher Rocchio, 04/09/2007

Reality TV World: Having never been eliminated from The Amazing Race before, what were your initial thoughts when host Phil Keoghan told you that you were eliminated from All-Stars?

Joyce: Stunned... at first. When he said it I was just kind of stunned because I kept waiting for him to say, "However..." He just didn't say, "However." And then we he didn't say it you just think to yourself for a second, "Oh my God. This is the end?" I know for myself I was just speechless.Uchenna: The reality is the competition really came to a head right there. We're used to seeing everybody else go out and... the realization that this wonderful journey is really over just hits hard. The Amazing Race is the last great adventure. In the old days, it was like a right of passage to do as much traveling as we did. To really realize it was over was really a tough pill to swallow.

Reality TV World: What made you decide to take the risk in Krakow and choose the flight with the tight connection? Joyce: We just think "no guts no glory." We thought at some point and time, we just can't stay in the pack, especially getting closer to the end. We kept thinking that since we were at the top it was an opportunity to take a chance...Uchenna: Extend the lead. Knowing a Yield was coming -- or at least feeling that a Yield was coming -- and having been the only winners on [All-Stars], we figured teams would start to focus on doing whatever they can to push us aside. We felt we had to make a move.

Reality TV World: During our interview with them last week, Joe Baldassare and Bill Bartek told us that even after buying your first set of tickets, you can continue to buy as many tickets as you want, so why did you stay with the risky connection after finding out that the three of the other four remaining teams were all on the same flight that had a safer connection?

Joyce: Once we committed and jumped on the first flight that we got on, we were now sent in another direction, on another path. We had already purchased a ticket to go to our next connection and that's where the guy was printing our connection tickets and when his printer broke. We spent a lot of time with them trying to fix the printer and get things back on track because the tickets had already printed and it was crumpled up in the machine so we were trying to right the wrong and we were getting close to our connector flight taking off. If we wouldn't have taken that connecting flight, we were thinking it would have taken a lot more time to go back out of the airport, in through customs, buy new tickets, and then try a whole nother route. We thought we'll take the risk because the gentleman helping us with the tickets said, "I'll fix it when you get to your next connection. The tickets will be sitting there waiting for you. All you have to do is pick them up and get on the plane." It did not work out that way. When we got to the connecting area, they could not figure out all the notes. They said it was going to take them a lot longer to figure it out, and at that point we tried buying every airline ticket imaginable and they had no seats available.

Reality TV World: Just to clarify, this is the connection in Frankfurt you're talking about right?

Joyce: Yeah. It was the holiday season and it just seemed like everybody was flying and there were a lot of standby people so any availability was sucked up quickly.

Reality TV World: So that's what caused the delay in Frankfurt that cost you the connecting flight to Malaysia?

Uchenna: Exactly. I'll tell you, the move would have been genius if it worked. We're talking about a whole other race. That hour-and-a-half opportunity to be ahead, turned into 10 hour slap in the face.

Reality TV World: So that's how long you were stuck in Frankfurt, 10 hours?

Joyce: Well that's how far back we were from the other teams.

Reality TV World: Do you remember what time it was when you finally arrived in Malaysia?

Joyce: We got there just before sunset. About 7PM or 6PM. The other teams, they must have gotten there around 10:30, 11 in the morning. Reality TV World: The editin made it look like you guys were so far behind when you got to Malaysia that you skipped the Detour and Roadblock and your first clue just said to go right to the Pit Stop, is that right?

Joyce: No.

Reality TV World: Oh. So you did do the Roadblock and the Detour?

Joyce: Yeah. We were more surprised at what they didn't show. They didn't even show us trying to catch up. We thought the fact that they allowed us to do all the tasks was because we had the opportunity. So we did everything...

Reality TV World: So it built-up some false hope for you.

Joyce: Yeah. They didn't show it.Uchenna: Even though we knew we were going out, we didn't expect it to be put together that way. I mean you saw us the first five minutes of the show, and the last three minutes of the show.

Reality TV World: Which Detour did you choose? Did you eat the cookies?

Joyce: We ate the cookies. We found it quick in comparison to what it looked like the other teams were doing. And I did the [Roadblock].

Uchenna: They didn't tell us.Joyce: No. I haven't figured that out. I'd like to know though.

Reality TV World: Did you think your race was in trouble when you were too late to pick-up tickets at the stop over in Frankfurt at the beginning of the seventh leg?

Uchenna: We knew we were going into a trouble zone, but our way of thinking doesn't allow us to go down a path that we don't want it to go. So we really tried to stay positive so that energy would be somehow answered.Joyce: On our last race -- even though some of the odds seemed insurmountable for us -- we still managed to make it through, and make it through first. So we like to keep hope alive all the time.

Reality TV World: Joyce do you think your experience with the piano was key in helping you overcome the deficit you two incurred in Frankfurt?

Joyce: You know I played the piano when I went to Catholic school many, many years ago. And the one thing that stood out in my mind was the hand placement, you always start with middle C. Who would ever think that information would ever be useful again in life? It's funny, that's where it started and it just turned out that it was quick. I was happy about it.

Reality TV World: Uchenna how confident were you that you counted the correct number of steps during the eighth leg's Fast Forward?

Uchenna: Oh man, that's actually quite a funny story. We counted it all out and actually had three different numbers. The one that was closest to mine was Danny and Ozwald's. So I actually... it was a gift.Joyce: [Uchenna] was probably 10 steps off, but the numbers were...Uchenna: Exactly the same.Joyce: ...but 10 off. So [Uchenna] went with the one that had the same ending. Uchenna: I tripped I think on one of the stairs. "Was that 20 or was that 30?"

Reality TV World: How was it working with Ozzy and Danny?

Joyce: It was great. Those guys are so much fun. They're funny and they're such gentlemen. It was a great experience. We vibe. Our energies are the same. Just positive.Uchenna: Positive energy.

Reality TV World: Were you surprised they gave you the prize at the eighth leg's Pit Stop?

Uchenna: We were thinking of doing "Rocks, Paper, Scissors" all the way up to the mat, and then they just go, "You have it."Joyce: They also said they had won a spectacular trip earlier and because they were from beach cities, they didn't want to go to a beach trip. And they said they were going to take a gamble. We were trying to debate how's the fairest way to do it, and they said "If it's a beach trip, we're not going to be sorry we gave it away." And it turned out it was.

Reality TV World: Knowing you were "marked for elimination" following the race's fifth leg, were you confident at the beginning of the sixth leg that you'd be able to overcome the penalty?

Joyce: For me, that was the scariest point because I thought we'd be okay. Thirty minutes... we could make that up. But when we had so much difficulty trying to get out of Africa, it just seemed like that 30 minute delay was definitely going to be the death of us. But who knew that we would manage to get on a flight that the others couldn't get on for another day or so. It was amazing that happened for us... but that was scary.Uchenna: And the dhows [leading to the sixth leg's Detour] were big. We did make a 30 minute jump on the beauty queens I might add. That was actually pretty gratifying. I think that was the point where they started to look at us more as a factor.Joyce: It was shocking [we still finished the sixth leg third despite being "marked for elimination"].

Reality TV World: Uchenna what was it like jumping with the Maasai following the sixth leg's Roadblock?

Uchenna: I always watched National Geographic movies... and I love seeing those type of things. You always wonder what it's like to be in the presence of such a majestic tribe. My family's from Nigeria. However when we did that, I wasn't in the race anymore. I was taken away. I was here with these people just jumping with them and you could see in their faces how much I was really enjoy being with them, and then they got more into it and the sounds they were making... their hums and different sounds they make. It just resonates through your body. That's what makes The Amazing Race so special. You're not on a tour bus. You're really in there with the people.

Reality TV World: Since it seemed to lead to your being "marked for elimination," what made you decide to try "Porter" instead of "Pamper" at the fifth leg's Detour?

Joyce: Our game on [The Amazing Race 7] was do all the physical tasks because those are the ones you can control. Painting nails... I was just thinking that everything that sounds easy is never that easy. Also we thought painting nails and doing it for money in a country where it didn't seem like people could spare much, it didn't seem to be an easy chore. Definitely we chose the harder task not knowing.

Reality TV World: How did you become so lost when trying to deliver the coal?

Uchenna: That was one of those moments when we really were not... You know how you have to follow you instinct? We were going in the right direction and just suddenly lost faith. It's funny because we couldn't get locals to help us at that point and time. You know how the kids kind of led [Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner]... they helped Danny and Ozzy. We kind of finished the task while one or the other of them was getting help. It just didn't work out.

Reality TV World: Uchenna -- prior to Rob and Amber Mariano's elimination from All-Stars, how was it that you were able to meet Charla Baklayan Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan at the fourth leg's Pit Stop to greet them?

Uchenna: We kind of forced that issue a little bit to see who was going to make it. Because we knew it was down to one envelope... and Rob had been arguing with Mirna so it was really like, "Wow. This is down to the wire." And we could hear the others coming... We just had to be there to see what happened. That was the one rematch, and we really expected to be running against Rob and Amber again at the finish of [All-Stars].

Reality TV World: That leads perfectly into my next question. What was your initial reaction when your old rivals were eliminated?

Joyce: For me it was a combination. At first I was excited but then afterwards strangely enough I was kind of sad because I thought, "Oh no! Those guys really make it interesting." I was glad they were gone though because they were kicking our butts.Uchenna: There's a kinship even though you want to compete against the best competitors. It was a kinship having The Amazing Race 7 be represented by two [teams]. I really didn't expect it to be a factor until we got down to the wire... I really wanted to have a footrace at the end. Us against Rob and Amber. If we can figure out a way to have another competition of some sort... I think it would be interesting.

Reality TV World: I'm sure Rob and Amber would probably be up for that too if you asked them.

Joyce: Rob still wants his opportunity to be first.

Reality TV World: How did it feel when Rob took the note the stewardess wrote for you on the flight to Punta Arenas at the beginning of the fourth leg?

Uchenna: That was interesting because he saw me going in and out of the stewardess' area, and as soon as I sat down, he went in to see what he could find out. I mean he's a smart guy. No other teams even thought about trying that. And I mean the flight attendants are nice, two people are asking for the same information. It was one of those things where of all the players, I expected Rob to do that. So it was like, "Man!" I wasn't surprised and I thought, "You got one in. You get this one..." I love the competition with Rob.

Reality TV World: We saw what the "Sign It" Detour challenge did to Rob and Amber. Considering you also tried it and correctly completed it, what do you think was so difficult about the challenge?

Joyce: I don't even think Rob and Amber finished!? I know for me, just the shape of the world, once you open it up and it's flattened... that was one thing I didn't even consider that west was in a whole different position. That was our problem from the beginning.Uchenna: Finally it just dawned on me, "We're not getting this right. Where did Magellan come from? He did not come from Guam, which was the one place that was farthest east on the map." Between the two of us, we kind of knuckle-headed it through... I guess the best thing about it was at least we spelled all the words right. Joyce: We knew how to spell!

Reality TV World: Joyce you seemed to have all sorts of problems in the boardroom at All-Stars first Roadblock. What was it about the challenge that was so difficult and Uchenna was it aggravating for you to watch your wife struggle as your lead quickly evaporated?

Joyce: What you didn't see was they gave you a piece of paper and said, "Go in the boardroom and you'll find all the answers you need. Don't talk to people sitting around the table." And I'm going around the room trying to figure out what it is we needed. Of course everybody's looking at the pictures. Everybody's looking at the initials and the monograms everywhere. The only thing I wasn't looking at -- and maybe nobody looked at it and just took chances -- but I didn't look at the "Q" that one guy was scribbling on a piece of paper. I thought he was just scribbling or doodling, which he was for the most part, but there was a "Q" he had on the paper that turned out to be totally related to the answer. All the names of the quarries had some of the initials, and the one that was the answer had a "Q" in it. And I thought, "Boy. I didn't see any Q's." But it finally dawned on me... of course much later on.Uchenna: My perspective on that was purely, "We got here first, let's leave halfway through. That's cool." But every team [passed us]... that just drove me nuts. I was aggravated. I was beside myself because I couldn't see in the room. I couldn't figure out what the heck is so difficult in there?Joyce: And I'm too literal so I was really taking it the wrong way.

Reality TV World: Seeing as how you were the only previous The Amazing Race winners to compete in All-Stars, did you think you had an advantage?

Joyce: Definitely no advantage going in. I would say it was a disadvantage if anything because instantly people assume that you've already had your opportunity and you don't deserve another one. But I think that everybody has the same opportunities and if you are allowed to have a miracle happen twice in your life, you know why not? I don't think it helped us. What do you think?Uchenna: No it didn't help us. I think... it didn't help us at all.

Reality TV World: Again, seeing as how you had already won The Amazing Race before, what prompted you to join All-Stars?

Uchenna: The desire to travel. If somebody's going to offer you the chance of a lifetime twice, not too many people are going to walk away from that opportunity. The traveling, the experience, there's so many moments now that we'll carry with us for the rest of our lives that will actually almost bring us to tears because of this race. We always tell people, "The win is being chosen to have a one in 11 chance at one-million bucks..."Joyce: And we said that before we won the $1 million [from The Amazing Race 7] too by the way.Uchenna: The $1 million is great. It's the icing. The win is having the opportunity.Joyce: And you know we have so many parallels to the race and our lives -- just learning to step out of your rut, do something different, take chances, live life boldly -- just all those things that really we've applied to our lives and we're finding that we're having a better life than we did when we were not taking chances. Going back on the race again just adds to our life experience.Uchenna: To reiterate the point, you have to live boldly.

Reality TV World: Was there anybody who you were surprised to see/not see?

Joyce: Yeah... we were pretty sure that [The Amazing Race 5 runner-ups Colin Guinn and Christie Woods] were going to be there.Uchenna: We figured [The Amazing Race 4 Ringling Brothers circus clowns Jon Weiss and Al Rios] were going to be there.Joyce: It would have been nice to have [The Amazing Race 5 winner Chip and Kim McAllister], but I don't know if they would... There's so many good teams. On this one, some of the teams that were there were some of my favorites. Some of them I didn't remember, but a lot of them were my all-time favorite teams.

Reality TV World: I think you might have already answered this question before, but who did you consider your biggest competition? Was it Rob and Amber?

Joyce: I think from the beginning we thought our biggest competition was The Guidos.

Reality TV World: Interesting. Is there a reason why?

Joyce: The Guidos were the original Rob and Amber. They were the original sneaky guys, and they're very manipulative, they're well-traveled, they've been around the world, they speak many languages... they know the in's and out's of airports around the world and they're fast and they're extremely competitive.Uchenna: They don't need any other teams. They're probably one of the few teams that could actually go through the race without being in the pack.Joyce: We just thought they were the ones to fear most.

Reality TV World: Are Charla and Mirna as annoying as they look on television and many of the other teams have been telling us?

Uchenna: Annoying is the word. There's so many -- especially now that we're able to see more of what they're saying -- and it's like, "Oh my goodness. We're playing this straight. We're playing this fair. We're being honest." The very next scene you see them taking cuts in line. "Help me! Help me!" We saw them do some things, pulling "the little person card." Hey, it's a game. You do what you can to survive. It worked, they're still in and we're not...Joyce: They're just loud about it.Uchenna: It's annoying. I think... I don't know. It's annoying. I mean we all wish we could pull-out whatever card we needed to stay in...Joyce: I wish we would have pulled one out.

Reality TV World: Do you think competing again in The Amazing Race strengthened your relationship?

Joyce: No, you know going on The Amazing Race for us helps us be on the same team. I know it sounds strange being that we are married, but when we have a common enemy, we know how to play for the same pot. When we're at home and we have no other enemies except each other. And it's strange, you fight about the little things, and the bickering and the things that get on your nerves...Uchenna: Everyday relationship stuff. The race has given us a glimpse of what our relationship can be. And now it's about is doing the work to getting there.

Reality TV World: How are things going now? Any news about starting a family?

Uchenna: We're working on it. It's interesting you ask that, a lot of people have been asking the same question about the family, about the relationship. What we've done, we've been talked into documenting our last in vitro [fertilization] which is coming up soon and also documenting the work they're doing to sure-up our relationship. It's very difficult doing this.Joyce: If in vitro doesn't work, we are planning on adopting but we're trying to keep all of our friends and fans in-touch or updated as far as what's going on with us.

Reality TV World: Good luck with that. Is the original $1 million spent already?

Joyce: You know what... the original $1 million we paid taxes, we paid bills, we put some into those empty 401Ks that we lost with the companies we worked for. So basically it's gone, but we're still trying to hold onto a little more security for our future and trying to build on that.Uchenna: And to round-up the question before about how we're keeping in-touch with friends and fans who are interested in the outcome of the two things were shooting, we have a website uchennaandjoyce.com. It's a registration site we're you just put your name and your email address, and when those are ready we send out an email letting everyone know what it is and what it looks like. The it goes forward. Our goal is to have two million people register.

Thanks, Puddin. Here's a page (http://www.armenianheritage.com/faeviley.htm) about Armenians and the evil eye. If her charm is to prevent the evil eye (not to cause it :lol:) then it might look something like this.

Thanks, Puddin. Here's a page (http://www.armenianheritage.com/faeviley.htm) about Armenians and the evil eye. If her charm is to prevent the evil eye (not to cause it :lol:) then it might look something like this.

I didn't even think of that Michael, lol. And bet the evil eye is how C/M puts curse's on the teams :sera:! Mess with them and your PHILIMINATED! God help the BQ'S :lol:!!

“Everyone Should Live Life Boldly” – An Interview with The Amazing Race’s Uchenna & Joyce by Teeuwynn Woodruff -- 04/10/2007

Uchenna & Joyce were one of the most popular racing teams both on their first race and on All-Stars. What do they have to say about their Philiminating decision to go for the earlier flight, what really caused them to miss the connecting flight, how did they rank themselves as competitors, and what are their thoughts on having children and the future? Read on to find out!

RealityNewsOnline: Hi Guys! Thanks for talking to RealityNewsOnline!

Uchenna & Joyce: Hello!

RNO: How did you feel when you found out you were going to be on All-Stars?

Joyce: Elation!

Uchenna: Yeah, we were overjoyed at the prospect of having another great American adventure.

Joyce: Yeah, you forget about all the pains and stress after it’s been a while. Of course, the next day you start rethinking your decision and go, “wait a minute! I forgot about this pain!” I’m glad we did it. I wouldn’t miss that opportunity.

RNO: Did you do anything to prepare for the race?

Uchenna: Definitely in better shape. We tried to learn a little more Spanish.

Joyce laughs.

Uchenna: A big part of it for me… Joyce coached me on the players that were strong in other races. Of course, we didn’t know who was going to be in it until we got there at the start. But she coached me on many of the majors and I think she was right about 70% of the people who ended up competing against us.

Joyce: But I think that in this kind of a competition it’s really hard to prepare. It’s more mental than anything. You don’t necessarily have to be in good shape, or speak a language, or have traveled around the world. They do things that you’d never imagine.

RNO: Certainly the race has shown that people who are in the best shape do not necessarily win.

Joyce: Absolutely. It doesn’t mean a thing. You could be in your 70s like Gretchen and Meredith and do well. They weren’t fast [but did well].

Uchenna: Or be a total stud like John Vito and go out first. That guy was a horse, man!

Joyce: It doesn’t make a difference. It’s really hard to prepare. You just have to be open-minded and just ready for whatever they put in your way. Just lose all your barriers of control.

RNO: Did anything you learned on your first race cause you to make any changes on All-Stars?

Joyce: You know, considering that we won the first one, we were thinking we had a pretty good strategy and we should stick to it. But, of course, this time we had different players with different mindsets. They were not new to any of this, so the playing field was a lot different.

Uchenna: I really thought that our strategy was working. The teams, if you noticed, really didn’t say a whole lot about us. We were under the radar. The reason for making the move that we did [on our final show], was the fact that there were only five teams left and the focus was going to end up being on us. So we thought that we better try to make an effort to be ahead as much as possible with the Yield coming.

RNO: Was the possibility of the Yield the reason that you decided to take that big risk, instead of sticking with the pack in the airport this past leg?

Joyce: No. We just decided that it was getting to the end of the race and a lot of strong teams and we were constantly coming in at the middle to the end of the pack. We thought it was time to make our move and it was a decision we made to do it. We knew it was going to be tight, but we were trying to be so on top of it that you would never imagine that a printer was going to break and that would be your downfall.

RNO: Is that what happened?

Joyce: We went to get our tickets for our connecting flight [while we were still at an earlier airport] and our printer jammed. And the tickets were inside the printer. The guy called over people to help and he was like, “You’re not going to make your connection so why don’t you go ahead and go. What I’m going to do is personally call, make sure they have your tickets there when you land. All you have to do is pick them up and just keep going. Easy as pie.” We thought we were being so careful. Famous last words. We get there and these other people are like, “we can’t reissue tickets that have been issued.” And the flights were all fully booked.

They didn’t know how to print – reprint – tickets that were already printed. The tickets did get jammed in a machine. It could almost be a story, their word against ours. And the guy might have talked to someone, but we never found the person he talked to.

Uchenna: The Munich airport’s really big.

RNO: That’s painful.

Joyce: Yeah, tell me about it! It was so painful. We tried to go to every airline; we spent hours trying to find a way out of there.

RNO: How long did it take there at the airport?

Joyce: We were almost 10 hours behind everybody. It took us maybe five hours to just go through the airport to just try to beg and plead and find a different path, but by the time we did find another flight we weren’t going to get in until… just many hours later. It was horrible. Every hour that ticked by your spirits are dying. It was a holiday period and a lot of flight options weren’t available. They had a lot of standbys.

RNO: So, when you got to the first clue box in Kuala Lumpur and it said to just go to the Pit Stop, did you know it was over at that point?

Uchenna: That actually –

Joyce: That didn’t happen. We did all of those tasks. We were pretty surprised that they didn’t show us trying. We ate the cookies.

Uchenna: It took about an hour.

Joyce: An hour of eating hundreds of boxes of cookies. You just can’t imagine how long that feels. And then I did the newspapers in the neighborhood, even though it was dark.

RNO: That must have been tough!

Joyce: It was.

Uchenna: It was. The fact that they were allowing us to do all of the tasks gave us just enough hope to keep pushing on. In hindsight, looking at how long it took us to do the tasks, if we had been with the pack, you wouldn’t be talking to us today.

Joyce: We would have still been in it. You know, really in hindsight, we didn’t have to take that risk. But if you don’t take risks at some point in time, you just always get the status quo positioning. We just thought it was time to do it.

RNO: You thought that if your flight worked out you would be the first team in, but it turned out that Charla & Mirna got in even earlier. How did Charla & Mirna find a better flight than anyone else – again?

Joyce: Yeah. Who knew that? They are able to garner a little assistance. They always say, “Help this little girl!” I don’t know. We were impressed when we saw it because we didn’t know it until we saw it on TV ourselves. That would have been shocking.

Uchenna: They were not our favorite team, but you can’t really throw rocks. They beat us.

RNO: They are good with the airports.

Joyce: They are good there. They’re good at making things work for them – which is what you need.

RNO: How do you feel you worked together as a team in this race compared to the first race?

Uchenna: I think there were periods where we worked really well as a team. I think, getting closer to our “demise,” the wheels started to fall off. Our down time wasn’t spent as productively as it could have been.

Joyce: I think that generally the race, the first one, just forced us to be – well, we just knew that our enemies were not each other. We worked really well under that pressure. At home it’s easier to just get off at each other, but in this race we know still that the others are the enemy. And if you have issues among yourselves, that’s time wasted. There were times when we got distracted and fell into our old habits at home. That could have been a cause of our demise as well. We weren’t always as focused as we should have been.

RNO: It looks like you didn’t get to go to Elimination Station – where did the producers put you up?

Joyce: Yeah, we did not.

Uchenna: [They put us up in] local hotels.

Joyce: We stayed with the production. We stayed sequestered with them, wherever they went. We went where the other teams went. We were just sequestered.

RNO: What was your favorite task on the race?

Joyce: Um… I would say… You know what turned out to be really fun? The whitewater rafting. It was a blast. It was one of the scarier things we had to do. Most of the tasks were more mental, but the whitewater rafting this time around was a higher degree – a level four or five – and being as we were novices, that was frightening. I mean you could fall out, you could be under all those waves.

Uchenna: There were six foot waves out there.

Joyce: We were bouncing down, seeing the bottom and being way up at the top thinking we were going to crash at any second. It was really exciting. But you had a favorite, right Uchenna?

Uchenna: Task-wise, doing the Maasai throwing Roadblock. That was incredible.

Joyce: Yeah, we loved that.

Uchenna: Being with the Maasai and, of course doing the task. I wish I could have taken one of those hammer things [rungu] with me.

Joyce: Being with the Maasai, seeing how they dress… It just looked like something out of National Geographic. I know I’ve seen them on that, but having them there, live, doing all of the things you’ve seen on TV. It was awesome.

RNO: How about your least favorite?

Joyce: Yeah, the coal.

RNO: And that, of course, led to your being marked for elimination.

Joyce: That didn’t help either. That was horrible! It was dirty and we got cut.

Uchenna: We got a newfound respect for what David of Dave & Mary does [coal mining].

Joyce: We had to do it with our bare hands. At least they get protective gear. We didn’t have any. It was horrible. Painting nails? Who would have known that would be as simple as it turned out to be. I thought it would be harder because I thought that most people wouldn’t be able to give up extra money to get their nails painted.

RNO: Then it turned out you only had to get about two people to pay.

Joyce: You only had to do a couple people and it took them a couple of minutes! Whereas the coal took us a couple of hours. If only we heard Phil explaining it to us. We just don’t get that benefit.

RNO: So, was that the hardest thing you had to do on the race or was it something else?

Joyce: I think also the whitewater rafting was one of the hardest things to. We did attempt rock climbing [at that Detour], although they didn’t show anyone doing that. We only got a foot off of the ground. Uchenna tried it and said it was impossible.

Uchenna: Absolutely!

Joyce: But nobody could do it, so maybe it was. Rob & Amber tried, I think Eric & Danielle tried, and nobody finished that. So, I would say that was hard. Also, back to the coal, that was crazy.

RNO: Do any locations you visited on the race stand out to you as either really wonderful or really horrible?

Joyce: Really wonderful was Punta Arenas for me – in Patagonia in the mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. The mountains were white-peaked and the lakes were just glassy. But the whole area was very pristine with beautiful homes. It just looked like heaven. It was really gorgeous.

Uchenna: My favorite place was the dhow ride from Tanzania to Zanzibar.

Joyce: That was not a fun ride for me. Ten hours!

Uchenna: There’s a history that goes with that trip. It actually struck a chord with me, looking at the whole slave trade and that was the gateway. It was really important to me. Running through the city of Zanzibar… I mean it seems like we’ve sailed the seven seas now, having done this trip twice.

Joyce: We should be pirates!

Uchenna: It’s priceless being on this great American adventure. Now the show’s been franchised to some other countries, but it is one of those all-American adventures that we wish that all Americans who wanted to could have that opportunity.

RNO: Were there any teams you either expected to be in the race or really wanted to be on the race, but weren’t?

Joyce: We definitely expected Rob & Amber to be there, but we also expected Colin & Christie to be there. I was really surprised they weren’t there. We were surprised the Clowns, Jon & Al, weren’t there. We thought they’d be there.

Uchenna: We also thought there was a chance Lynn & Alex from our race would be there. I believe, as far as older couples go, that Meredith & Gretchen would have been a high vote. But I’m not sure… I think he had some surgery, heart surgery or something.

Joyce: It would have been cool if they were there.

Uchenna: For the most part, we really expected to see more winners there.

RNO: You were the only pair of winners on the race.

Joyce: That was surprising!

Uchenna: It painted a target on our backs, right away.

RNO: You were also facing your old nemeses, Rob & Amber, from the first race.

Joyce: We expected that they would be there because they are definitely great competitors and they bring a whole different game playing to the whole arena. But it is fun to compete against them even though they haven’t won yet. I’m sure they would have loved to have won this one – just like us.

RNO: I believe Rob picked you guys to win after his team left the race.

Joyce: Ah! That was surprising, though.

Uchenna: The mistake we made really changed the climate of the whole race. To be honest with you, we expected a foot race again. We expected it to come down to us, Rob & Amber, and someone else for the final three – possibly the Guidos.

RNO: There is a lot of luck in the race.

Joyce: There is a lot. A lot of luck. It just wasn’t our time, which is fine. We accept the inevitable and what was to be because we don’t feel that there are any mistakes. Even though things happened the way that it did, even though the printer never jams at the airport!

Uchenna: A million tickets a day and the one time we’re there it does.

Joyce: That was a sign to me. I just accepted my fate. Even though it’s hard. I have to think there’s a bigger lesson to be learned, a bigger picture.

RNO: Speaking of bigger pictures, has running The Amazing Race changed your relationship in any way?

Joyce: You know, I wouldn’t say it’s changed our relationship other than when we are on the race, usually we are… we really work well together under pressure when we have a common enemy. After the race, we go back to normal. We go back to my world or his world. We’re back to our little control area. One of the lessons we should take from the race is that we never have any control. That’s hard to swallow. We really don’t have any control. We learned from the race that just being open to positive possibilities and letting go of control that all kinds of things can happen that are really miraculous. When we are trying to control things, boy, we just get what we can’t control as an outcome as well. Anyway, it changes our relationship because when we’re on [the race] we do well together. But it doesn’t change our relationship because when we’re back to reality and then it [doesn’t]. I think we need to be racing all the time!

RNO: There are areas in life where people don’t always have control over. After you won your season, you used some of your money to try IVF. Do you have any plans to have children now?

Joyce: Yeah, you know just before we were going to go on the race this time we were getting ready to do in vitro, to give it another shot. We decided to put it on hold until after the race was over. Now that we’re back, we’re definitely back at it. Whether it works out that way, or adoption, that’s what we’re going to do. We want to keep everyone posted and keep in touch because that’s usually the first question everyone asks, “Do you have a baby yet?”

RNO: I’m sure people are wishing all the best for you guys as far as that goes.

Joyce: Yeah, we want to be able to share with everyone. We do have a website where we want everyone to go and leave their e-mails for us. What we’re going to do is just send it out to everyone when we’re starting to work on the baby thing and the relationship thing.

Uchenna: The web site is www.uchennaandjoyce.com. Basically, we’ve been convinced to videotape the process of in vitro –

Joyce: Well, much of it. Not all of it!

Uchenna: …and we’re also videotaping the process of working on our relationship. The race gave us a look… it was a crystal ball into what our relationship can be. But it’s really up to us to do the work to get there. We’ve been convinced to tape that process as well. That will be pretty much the meat of the site once it’s launched. But right now we have a page there for everyone to leave their e-mail addresses right now.

RNO: I’m sure there will be a lot of people interested in that and in your journey with IVF. A lot of people go through that these days and want to learn more about it.

Joyce: After being spokespersons for Resolve, we learned that 7.2 million Americans suffer with [infertility]. They say it’s the last closeted ***ual disease. A lot of people are still afraid to talk about it. You think it just happens naturally, and you don’t think that it will ever be a problem.

RNO: And it’s such an emotional issue for people.

Joyce: And it is an emotional issue.

Uchenna: Yes.

Joyce: You feel like there’s something wrong with you if you can’t do this.

Uchenna: It’s been difficult filming this process.

RNO: It must be very emotional for you, talking about your relationship and children.

Uchenna: It’s really personal.

Joyce: It’s personal.

Uchenna: We’re hoping that it touches people who not only have the curiosity, but there’s a lot of people who relate to us on those specific issues. It’s sort of an avenue to see someone else going through it. It helps take the pressure off. Once we told everyone that we want to have a baby, everyone asks. We just added a ton of pressure to a situation that already has a bunch of pressure.

Joyce: “Are you guys getting to it? Down to business?”

RNO: I think it’s brave to express that to other people. Also, the way you appeared on the race, you showed a lot of bravery, a lot of character, and a lot of joy, which I thought was great to see.

Joyce: Thank you.

Uchenna: Thank you very much. We plan on living our lives that way. I think a lot of people need that example… a role model or whatever. A lot of people come up to us and say we appreciate you showing that side instead of just the meaner side [of some racers].

RNO: And hopefully some day you’ll be showing the race to your children.

Joyce: Yeah. That’s the plan. We’re still going to learn the right way as we go along, but we’re hoping to share with others.

RNO: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourselves or your experience on the race?

Joyce: Just that everyone has the same opportunities on everything that’s possible in life. If they want to go on The Amazing Race or do their own amazing race in their own lives, we totally encourage it because everyone should live life boldly – not from the fear that you could fail. It could turn out like it did for us on the first race, you could win in life – not just the race. So, we would like to totally encourage people to be bold.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you found yourself on Survivor? Were you a fan of the show beforehand?

Well, I was a fan of the show and I'm always on the hunt for new experiences and adventures and it actually started when me and my sister applied to be on The Amazing Race. And after interview after interview, before I knew it I found myself on Survivor instead. It was a much more challenging experience than I had first anticipated, but well worth it.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you found yourself on Survivor? Were you a fan of the show beforehand?

Well, I was a fan of the show and I'm always on the hunt for new experiences and adventures and it actually started when me and my sister applied to be on The Amazing Race. And after interview after interview, before I knew it I found myself on Survivor instead. It was a much more challenging experience than I had first anticipated, but well worth it.

I would love to see her on there with her sister.... or Yau Man! that would be awsomeI just hope she dosnt go crazy with reality televison like Romber

It would be "conventional wisdom" from anyone who has adopted (or is familiar with adoption) that U/J would NOT be good candidates for adoption. Evidently someone here disagrees (or believes my post is somewhat controversial).

Different strokes i guess....I believe that adopting (& parenting) is a privlidge & a responsibility....not a right. If these thoughts are deemed wrong, I will find another board to contribute on.

hound, your comments on Uchenna & Joyce offended me and I felt they were uncalled for but did not comment on it, but when your post was reported to me more than once as offensive by other members as well as non- members I removed it. Sorry if you feel that is a reason to leave the forum.

hound, your comments on Uchenna & Joyce offended me and I felt they were uncalled for but did not comment on it, but when your post was reported to me more than once as offensive by other members as well as non- members I removed it. Sorry if you feel that is a reason to leave the forum.

puddin

puddin,

i didn't mean to offend you or your members (i am sorry that i did). But I am disappointed in U/J's comments above. My perspective is that:

- I will be walking my 25 y/o daughter down the aisle this fall. I married her mother 20 years ago. I am not her birth father, but she has called me Dad for 19 years. - I will be coaching my 8 y/o son's baseball game tomorrow. He was born in S. Korea & is not my birth son. I am his Dad. I am his "real Dad". And he is my son. (He is cute, sweet, & has increased the average IQ of our immediate family by at least a dozen points.)

When discussing adoption, folks should remember that 3 years ago (when U/J first won a million bucks) there were hundreds of thousands of children worldwide who would love to have been adopted by a mommy & daddy. Today....there are hundreds of thousands of children worldwide who would love to be adopted by a mommy & daddy (or mommy & mommy... whatever... as long as it's a good home).

U/J are discussing IVF (a website devoted to their IVF) & then maybe adoption. They also have discussed acting careers, possibly having problems in their marriage & being "looked up to" (by viewers).

puddin, you have a great website with members (& detectives) who rock. Thanks for letting me share why (i feel) adoption is a blessing.

Those of us who have an adoptive child in our lives know very well the joy and the happiness that they bring to our hearts every single day. We are truly, truly blessed. And with that joy often comes a passionate and sometimes outspoken concern for those children around the world in need of a home, and a sense of protectiveness towards those children.

I wish Uchenna and Joyce the very best in their search for parenthood, and hope that they will come to know that joy and happiness in their own lives.

Hound, it is easy to see the love you feel for your children. I am sure that you are as much of a blessing in their lives as they are in yours. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

One of the things that is so special about this forum is the way that despite our different backgrounds, opinions, ages, and team favorites, we all work so well together in pursuing our spoiler quest. Who knew that one very special TV show would bring so many of us together in a very special community? I am proud to know you all, and thank you all for the fun and joy you bring to my life.

And now back to our regular programming--see you in the Episode thread!

Not strictly TAR, but I thought I'd throw it in here. Phil's NOW show has been picked up by CBC for this fall; Canadians of high standing (no "moral turpitude" :lol:) are encouraged to apply. News release (http://www.canadanewswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2007/24/c8534.html) and website (http://www.noopportunitywasted.ca/).

Darn you Canadians get everything :meow: :knuckles:!! We'll I will just use my photobucket for now..I mean I pay for it but the quality is suckier than the others but oh well. You'd think the gofish could have warned me or something? Damn RAT TROLLS !! :lol:

On your marks, get set, go - for the first-ever Guamazing race, a takeoff the hit CBS reality series "The Amazing Race", showing on KUAM-TV11. Ten teams of two people will complete an island wide obstacle course testing their physical and mental strength, taking place in May.

Until then, is hosting a local casting call this Saturday, April 28 at the PTC in the Agana Shopping Center from 5-10pm. Applicants are encouraged to download an application by clicking here. http://www.kuam.com/guamazing/

DEDEDO, Guam-The island of Guam will be shown on national television this Monday, April 30, as CBS features the island as the setting for the upcoming episode of the hit reality show The Amazing Race: All Stars.

The critically acclaimed program, now in its 11th season, will feature teams competing in a series of tasks on Andersen Air Force Base.

KUAM TV11 will broadcast the episode on Monday, April 30, at 9pm. Viewers will be able to get an exclusive sneak peek of the episode on the Monday edition on KUAM News Primetime at 6pm on KUAM TV8 and 7pm on KUAM TV11.

The KUAM News Team will also feature a behind-the-scenes look at the episode as they feature the airmen that executed the mission showcased on The Amazing Race.

The Amazing Race is hosted by Phil Keoghan and is a Jerry Bruckheimer Production.

Producers Prepare for Possible StrikeCould More Games Be on the Way? Posted 4/24/07

From Calendar Live: Anticipating a possible walkout, networks and studio executives are starting to take steps to keep production pipelines flowing. The contingency plans include pushing up shooting schedules, ordering more reality TV programs and renegotiating with writers to turn in their film scripts earlier than usual.

"They're protecting their long-range business interests," said chief studio negotiator J. Nicholas Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The early preparations come three months before what are expected to be highly contentious contract talks between producers and writers, with the central issue being how writers are paid when their work is shown over the Internet.

Guild leaders have alleged that studios are trying to scare writers by suggesting they are stockpiling scripts and shows. There has been little evidence of a large-scale stockpiling like there was in 2001, when fear of strikes by actors and writers caused a major acceleration of production.

"We've never seen stockpiling to be a significant negotiating strategy," said Chuck Slocum, assistant executive director of the Writers Guild of America, West. "We don't see any reason a deal cannot be reached and we look forward to negotiating to that end."

Rival networks and studio executives have been keeping their contingency plans under wraps not only from writers but also one another.

Although none would publicly discuss their plans, several Hollywood executives privately acknowledged that they were preparing for what could be the first writers' strike since 1988.

Their plans include having some shows come back early to shoot additional episodes that could air during a strike and pushing up production schedules of midseason shows to as early as July instead of their usual September start.

Networks typically decide which shows they're going to pick up just before the key advertising sales period in May and June. But this year has seen an unusually large number of early pickups, evidence not only of changes in the television industry but also strike preparations, analysts say.

"There are clear signs that networks are preparing their fall schedules as early as possible as a hedge against a possible strike," said Carolyn Finger, vice president of TVtracker.com, an Internet-based research and consulting service.

Network business affairs executives are combing their libraries to identify which shows they have the rights to rebroadcast and to compile alternative schedules jammed with movies, news programs, reality fare and game shows.

Hit shows such as Fox's "American Idol" are not only hugely popular, but they are also cheaper to produce than scripted programs. And most reality shows aren't covered under the Writers Guild contracts despite efforts by the union to organize the booming sector.

This season saw 56 unscripted series across all the broadcast networks, up from 51 last year, according to TVtracker.com. CBS has five game show pilots in production, including shows hosted by comedian Drew Carey and MSNBC talk show host Tucker Carlson.

"The ramped-up reality slate is part of our regular program development for summer, fall and midseason programming, but these projects could be utilized if a strike does occur," CBS spokesman Chris Ender said

Variety's take on what CBS has in store for the Fall (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963930.html?categoryid=14&cs=1)

And while "Amazing Race" might return for another cycle, there's a good shot CBS will use 8 p.m. Sundays to try out a new show.

Eye is also aggressively looking to find some desperately needed reality hits. Having started the reality craze with "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race," it hasn't launched an unscripted smash since.

Tassler says bringing back Ghen Maynard to oversee the net's reality slate has resulted in a slew of new concepts. She won't talk details, but industry insiders say Maynard has more than 15 possible players in the mix.

Some, like Mark Burnett's "Pirate Master," will get an early launch in the summer.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Given how heavily it's invested in riskier fare, change is almost certainly coming to CBS this fall. The real question will be how much of Tassler's slate gets the go-ahead from CBS Corp. supremo Moonves.

Moonves is proudly old-school when it comes to programming. But after some initial cautiousness about new media, the exec has transformed the Eye into one of the market leaders when it comes to embracing new technologies.

thanks peach..I'll take my TAR any which way I can but would love the Tuesday night 9pm timeslot back.Pirate master looks good! I think I'll ask Rob to start us a new topic on it...it may hold us over untill fall or at least untill Big Brother starts? :ninja

thanks peach..I'll take my TAR any which way I can but would love the Tuesday night 9pm timeslot back.Pirate master looks good! I think I'll ask Rob to start us a new topic on it...it may hold us over untill fall or at least untill Big Brother starts? :ninja

Yes please! I want to be a "Dirty Pirate Hooker" this summer! Spoiler opportunities!

Otherwise it will be a long dry TAR-less lonesome summer :'(

Watch the PREVIEW (http://www.cbs.com/primetime/pirate_master/)here at CBS--first preview under video

A show to keep me interested until the TAR12 teams are released, or the TAR12 spoilers start coming out! Imagine they surprise us and renew it for 30 years?! I can see an old-aged Phil greeting the teams with eye brows like James' father from last season.

Danny & Oswald on the Early Show Video (http://video.cgi.cbsnews.com/vplayer3/play.pl?type=rm&width=320&height=240&feat=vplayer&adtype=pre&arena=video&prod=eyebox&adv=h&id=2741381n&ord=79376.23917233951) or webpage (http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/earlyshow/main500202.shtml).

Exclusive Interview: Oswald and Danny, 8th team eliminated on The Amazing Race: All-Stars

The final team eliminated prior to next Sunday's The Amazing Race All-Stars finale was Danny and Oswald, who last night finished in fourth place at the penultimate pit stop in the island nation of Guam. Danny and Oswald put up a hell of a fight throughout the season, proving to be one of the most sneakily formidable teams in the show's history. Some bad luck on last night's episode (plus the fact that they were marked for elimination) saw them finish in last. Danny and Oswald took some time out of their schedule to speak with us earlier today...and, let's just say that it was one of the more lively interviews we've ever been a part of.When you were first contacted by CBS, were you at all hesitant about coming back to do another race?

KUAM on last night's episode (quicktime file):http://www.kuam-media.com/downloadmp4.php?file=22261.mp4Nothing much new; the officer interviewed said C/M's package was "parallel" to the Christmas drive, but not a part of it.

VIEW CBS UPFRONT SALES PRESENTATION DETAILS Start Date: 05-16-2007 End Date: 05-16-2007 Event Name: CBS Upfront Sales Presentation Description: The annual network announcement in which broadcasters present their new primetime and returning series schedule to media buyers in New York City and across the nation.

VIEW CBS UPFRONT SALES PRESENTATION DETAILS Start Date: 05-16-2007 End Date: 05-16-2007 Event Name: CBS Upfront Sales Presentation Description: The annual network announcement in which broadcasters present their new primetime and returning series schedule to media buyers in New York City and across the nation.

Reality TV World: Do know how long it had been after Eric and Danielle's 30 minute "marked for elimination" penalty expired when you arrived at the Pit Stop?

Oswald: They were there when we got there, so not that far.Danny: Not that far. It was very close.Oswald: I would say maybe 10 minutes at the most.( liars! it was an hour and a half give or take!, puddin )

They did not have to go there. If you want to remove these posts feel free to do so puddin. You guys do a wonderful job with this website and God forbid it should be equated with those three other sites that shall remain unidentified.

They did not have to go there. If you want to remove these posts feel free to do so puddin. You guys do a wonderful job with this website and God forbid it should be equated with those three other sites that shall remain unidentified.

VIEW CBS UPFRONT SALES PRESENTATION DETAILS Start Date: 05-16-2007 End Date: 05-16-2007 Event Name: CBS Upfront Sales Presentation Description: The annual network announcement in which broadcasters present their new primetime and returning series schedule to media buyers in New York City and across the nation.

so im reading around diff places on the net about cbs stuff and people need to relize the only show cbs has picked up was survivor!!!!!!! alot of the people so worried about if its being picked up or not have to take a chill pill and wait until may16th. NO1 will tip there had pre- releasing fall schedules or shows that will be brought back this year due to the potential writiers strike. abc and nbc may have said things but i doubt some of it will come to fruition. i think every1 is keeping quiet about the whole thing, and casting is being kept under wraps to throw every1 off to see what will people do.

years ago nbc cancelled the show jag and cbs picked it up and kept on the air for a long time. TAR is produced by abc televistion studios formally touchstone so i hardly think they wouldnt have a home when and if cbs pulls the plug. personally the pilots cbs has orderd are really really crappy. i think theres 1 drama and 1 comedy with potential. i am not worried about tar not being picked up, i think its safe but maybe delayed until november ala tar6. ratings will go back up in the fall, i think we are just going through a rough time on tv as a whole. remeber if the writers strike there wont be enough time to get stuff shot and done, so the entire reality show block on all networks plans are prob being kept under wraps until those network release dates.

if this is in the wrong place i am sorry, just something i think had to be posted over here since it is the media thread lol

Bienstock signs deal with CBSProducer pacts to create new unscripted projectsBy JOSEF ADALIANJay Bienstock, the longtime Mark Burnett collaborator who's overseen multiple seasons of "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," is branching out on his own.Producer has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with CBS Paramount Network Television. He'll create and exec produce unscripted projects for all nets.

Bienstock will work closely with Ghen Maynard, the CBS exec VP in charge of alternative programming and entertainment content for new media.

With signature skeins such as "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" aging, the Eye net is on the hunt for reality hits -- and Maynard is betting on producers such as Bienstock to launch those skeins.

Exec, who has known Bienstock since the first "Survivor," said the producer has a strong sense of story direction.

"He always comes at something from a different way, which I like," Maynard told Daily Variety. "He thinks outside the box and yet he also knows how to appeal to a mass audience."

For his part, Bienstock said he's already brainstorming a slew of potential ideas.

"I love the reality competition format, and I think there are still more things to be tapped," he said. "I also love adventure, where you put people in fun but challenging situations. Those are the shows I want to work on."

While unscripted producers are finding it hard to come up with breakout ideas in a well-saturated reality market, Bienstock believes there's plenty of room for new hits. The genre, he said, "is just waiting for something new and fresh to come along."

Bienstock ankled Mark Burnett Prods. after a 10-year relationship that dated back to the days of "Eco-Challenge."

After several years on VH1's signature "Behind the Music," he reconnected with Burnett on the first five editions of "Survivor" and every installment of "The Apprentice" (including the Martha Stewart-hosted spinoff).

Bienstock essentially served as day-to-day showrunner on "The Apprentice," working in conjunction with Burnett.

As for the name of his shingle, CAA-repped Bienstock is keeping things simple, calling the company Jay Bienstock Prods. "Hopefully, the shows will be a lot more creative than the name," he quipped.

Read the full article at:http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117962328.html

good, im glad to hear it. people can have all the sources and stuff in the world, but sometimes the info runs dry not because of something not happening, rather management keeping lips tight, and $$ over there head

ATC Steve said over at TARflies (http://www.tarflies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=167&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=2670) that:

Quote

And while CBS has not given the final green light for season 12, they are still funding them to set-up the race and continue with casting. Based on what has been told to me by very reliable sources, I foresee nothing but good news soon.

:happy:

And RealityNewsOnline Interview with D/O (http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article6932.art&page=1)

I found this interesting, especially in light of the negative interviews that D/O have been giving in regards to other teams:

Quote

RNO: On the race, did you have a chance to talk to Eric & Danielle about why you Yielded them?

Oswald: Not on the race. After we finished the race and we settled ourselves into our regular lives, Eric did reach out to us and apologize ahead of time for the things he said about us when we Yielded him.

ATC Steve said over at TARflies (http://www.tarflies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=167&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=2670) that:

Quote

And while CBS has not given the final green light for season 12, they are still funding them to set-up the race and continue with casting. Based on what has been told to me by very reliable sources, I foresee nothing but good news soon.

:happy:

And RealityNewsOnline Interview with D/O (http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article6932.art&page=1)

I found this interesting, especially in light of the negative interviews that D/O have been giving in regards to other teams:

Quote

RNO: On the race, did you have a chance to talk to Eric & Danielle about why you Yielded them?

Oswald: Not on the race. After we finished the race and we settled ourselves into our regular lives, Eric did reach out to us and apologize ahead of time for the things he said about us when we Yielded him.

Ah! Everytime I see somebody mention going to TARcon I get so jealous! I WANT TO GO!You guys make sure to take a lot of pictures...maybe somebody can bring a life sized cut out of me and place it beside Dustin and Kandice if they go and take a picture of it!!!! :angel:

Ah! Everytime I see somebody mention going to TARcon I get so jealous! I WANT TO GO!You guys make sure to take a lot of pictures...maybe somebody can bring a life sized cut out of me and place it beside Dustin and Kandice if they go and take a picture of it!!!! :angel:

you want to goto tarcon to watch abunch of people get drunk??? :groan:

Ah! Everytime I see somebody mention going to TARcon I get so jealous! I WANT TO GO!You guys make sure to take a lot of pictures...maybe somebody can bring a life sized cut out of me and place it beside Dustin and Kandice if they go and take a picture of it!!!! :angel:

you want to goto tarcon to watch abunch of people get drunk??? :groan:

Ah! Everytime I see somebody mention going to TARcon I get so jealous! I WANT TO GO!You guys make sure to take a lot of pictures...maybe somebody can bring a life sized cut out of me and place it beside Dustin and Kandice if they go and take a picture of it!!!! :angel:

you want to goto tarcon to watch abunch of people get drunk??? :groan:

the person who was credited with the sunday time slot for tar was premoted

Quote

Gee to direct CBS planningNetwork promotes programming execBy JOSEF ADALIANCBS has upped Noriko Gee to director of program planning and scheduling.Gee is part of the Eye team responsible for scheduling primetime skeins and specials, as well as the occasional telepic or feature film. She'll also have a hand in planning the sked for sister net the CW.

She reports to CBS programming operations senior exec VP Kelly Kahl.

Gee had been manager of program planning and scheduling since February 2006, contributing to the Eye's decision to move "The Amazing Race" and "Without a Trace" to Sunday night.

Exec began her career in 2001, serving as an intern in the Eye's research department. She shifted to scheduling in 2003, joining the department as a coordinator.

An Air Force podcast (http://www.af.mil/podcast/) about Guam. The story is at 3:35 (latest edition 03 May), but I'll save the trouble: it's just an officer talking about finding production's expectations, meeting the challenges, etc. B:)

AMAZING RACE: ALL STARS WINNING TEAM!: On Sunday night’s season finale of the Amazing Race: All Stars, Dustin and Kandice have a disagreement and Charla and Mirna rely on their wit in order to beat the physically stronger teams. Who will walk away with a first place finish? Monday morning, the final two teams will join us live on our plaza where we will present the winning team with their million dollar check! 8:38 SEGMENT ELEVEN - AMAZING RACE WINNERS AND CHECK PRESENTATION: On Sundaynight's season finale of the Amazing Race: All Stars, Dustin and Kandice have adisagreement and Charla and Mirna rely on their wit in order to beat thephysically stronger teams. Who will walk away with a first place finish? Mondaymorning, the final two teams will join us live on our plaza where we willpresent the winning team with their million dollar check!

After what Mirna said about MissAlli I have been wondering if she would have the nerve to turn up to a TWoP sponsered function! But last week on the Fline they did say all 3 teams would be there...I thought the final 3 was under contract with CBS to appear though?

me too, hopefully TAR continues to go on, I know Phil said that he'll continue doing the show as long as it is picked up so that's good :DI'm so looking forward to brand new teams, it's going to be really refreshing to watch it not having pre-determined favorites.

Not often does the giant American broadcasting corporation CBS cover Arusha, but when it stopped by in 2004 at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) it left behind a US Dollars 2 million civil suit.

CBS Broadcasting Inc. based in Los Angeles in California were on a tour of filming their popular documentary "The Amazing Race," only to discover later that what they did at KIA attracted among others, a civil case.

A resident of Arusha, Stella Mwanyika claims that her right to privacy was infringed during the filming of "The Amazing Race" sometime in 2004. Through her advocates, Maira and Company Advocates of Dar es Salaam and W. A. L. Mirambo and Company Advocates of Arusha, Ms Mwanyika, the Plaintiff, is claiming damages amounting to about US Dollars 2 million.

According to a plaint filed at the High Court of Tanzania, Arusha District Registry and labeled Civil Case No. 7 of 2006 the defendant had "without any lawful cause infringed the fundamental human rights of the Plaintiff." The Plaintiff is employed as a ground hostess at KIA.

Particulars of the submission include: Taking her photographs without her consent and against her will and amidst her protest; publishing the said photographs without her consent and against her will; and broadcasting the documentary "The Amazing Race" without her consent or knowledge.

"By reason of matters aforesaid, the Plaintiff has suffered loss and damage to feelings and dignity and likely to suffer further loss and damage," the plaint reads.

Apart from special and general damages, the Plaintiff is claiming aggravated and exemplary damages in view of "the fact that the Defendants gained profits from the said publishing and broadcasting worldwide."

The plaintiff also prays for an injunction to restrain the Defendants from broadcasting the programme known as "The Amazing Race".

But to the Defendant, the inclusion of Ms Mwanyika's images in the program did not constitute a valid cause of action against CBS.

Responding on behalf of CBS, REX Attorneys of Dar es Salaam (Merging Maajar, Rwechungura, Nguluma {Advocates} & Epitome Advocates) the attorneys claim that, "the raw footage we have reviewed does not include your client's refusal to be tapped.

"Instead, it shows her staring directly into the lens of at least one of the production crew's very large and visible cameras without any objection and also smiling and acknowledging the camera.

"She among other things, asked whether she could get a copy of the tape for herself ... all of which amount to a very clear implicit consent for the program to tape and use her image."

Accordingly, the attorneys concluded, CBS will not agree to meet the demand to pay "your client" that amount of money. Hearing of the case is scheduled for May 31, this year.

ok i have this episode on my dvr and just went through it, what am i looking for??? :lol:

Some lady at the KIA task? What was it bears & Pans? lol

this was from tar5, i think i have a pretty good idea of whio this lady is but not sure. there is a lady on camera helping out the teams get tickets when colins taxi drivers gone crazy wanted to throw him in jail :lol:

Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner finished in first for only one leg of CBS' The Amazing Race: All-Stars. Luckily for them it was the thirteenth and final leg, as they were the first team to cross the finish line of The Amazing Race's eleventh installment during last night's finale to claim the $1 million prize.

Pretty impressive stuff considering Eric, a 28-year-old waiter from Deerfield Beach, FL, and Danielle, a 23-year-old bartender from Staten Island, NY, were the only All-Stars team to never have competed with one another during a previous season and were instead actually adversaries during The Amazing Race 9.

On Monday, The Amazing Race: All-Stars champions talked to Reality TV World about being the only team Yielded during the competition; why they were paired wth each other instead of their original The Amazing Race 9 partners; how they purposely threw a challenge to see one of their rivals be eliminated; and the current status of their relationship.

Reality TV World: How does it feel to be the winners of The Amazing Race: All-Stars considering you both never raced as teammates before?

Danielle: It's pretty amazing, huh?Eric: I'm not sure what it says, if it makes a good case for either way, you know? I didn't really know what to expect. I'm sure the other teams didn't know what to do with us as a team. They had never seen us race before.

Reality TV World: How did it feel when you crossed the finish line?

Danielle: Shock...Eric: Disbelief...Danielle: ... being so thankful that it's over. We couldn't believe it. We really were shocked. It's an exciting thing. You don't even know how to react honestly. You want to cry -- but then you're like so excited -- and all these things are going through your head. It's crazy.

Reality TV World: How do you think your old Season 9 partners feel about it?

Danielle: I'm sure [her The Amazing Race 9 partner Dani Torchio] was maybe a little jealous, but she never really told me that. When we talked she was very supportive of [Eric and I]. She was happy for me the whole time, so I'm sure she was a little upset but she never told me that.Eric: [His The Amazing Race 9 partner Jeremy Ryan] was happy at that point. But I'm sure... I know he's a little upset because we did a really good job on our season and I know he wanted to be there and I just felt like he deserved it. You know, happy but sad.

Reality TV World: How about the other teams? Did they voice any complaints that a team that had never raced together before got to compete in All-Stars?

Eric: Not to our faces.Danielle: Yeah, not to our faces. I'm sure they had their opinions.Eric: I'm sure some of the teams... I don't think we had any kind of an advantage or anything at all, by any means. I think actually it was probably a disadvantage because the other teams already knew how to work together and Danielle and I had no clue. Obviously there's a lot of friction there so... It just turned out we got a little luckier than some of the other people.

Reality TV World: Eric were you surprised at how Danielle's gossiping paid off for your team during the final challenge?

Eric: You know what? Actually, it was kind of fitting just how it all came down to it. I felt like throughout the first part of the race, I was doing a lot of the work and she was, you know, holding her own but I was making most of the decisions.Danielle: He's lying. It's all me! It's all me!Eric: I did all the driving and all the map work. She was just kind of following behind me and as it came down to it, if she wouldn't have talked so much, then we wouldn't have won. So she gets as much credit as anybody for how we did.

Reality TV World: How long were you at All-Stars finish line before second-place finishers Dustin Seltzer and Kandice Pelletier arrived?

Danielle: About 10 minutes.Eric: Ten minutes or so. It felt like longer. I don't know. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes. Maybe it wasn't that long, but...Danielle: About that long...Eric: ... it felt like a long time.

Reality TV World: Going into the twelfth leg and having been the only All-Stars team to be Yielded, how did you like your chances of winning the entire race? Did you feel like underdogs?

Eric: Well in the last leg we felt... Once we were there, we felt like we could actually win. Up until then, as we were getting pulled off of airplanes, missing flights, getting pulled off of standby, Yielded...Danielle: Yeah, I mean we were definitely underdogs. It was ridiculous. There were times when we thought we weren't going to win, and you know we'd get back into the game. Up until the last second, we didn't know.Eric: I thought it was like every time we made some ground up and caught back up, something else would happen and we'd get hosed.Danielle: Hosed...

Reality TV World: Danielle, why so much trouble with the GPS during the twelfth leg's Roadblock?

Danielle: Did it look like I had some trouble with it?

Reality TV World: Yeah it did.

Danielle (laughing): Oh you mean [when] I had a nervous breakdown? Oh... okay. You know what it was, we knew that was like the last leg before the Top 3 and my biggest fear this whole race was having all the pressure on me... like, [to] do a lot of Roadblocks. So I guess it was like doing it, I'm not really good with directions as it is, and then having all the pressure of knowing if I messed up it was all on me. I think it was both those things going through my head that made me freak out. Directions definitely aren't my thing and apparently even when an arrow's pointing in the direction I still can't follow it. I need to waste money on a Tom-Tom or a GPS system for my car (laughing).

Reality TV World: What was it like seeing your photo at the eleventh leg's Yield, the second time in All-Stars you were Yielded?

Eric: Honestly, that was like the most surprised we were the whole race. The reason being is [All-Stars' fourth-place finishers Ozwald Mendez and Danilo Jimenez] and [All-Stars third-place finishers Charla Baklayan Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan] had made in agreement with us in Malaysia not to Yield each other. We'd only Yield the blonds [Dustin and Kandice]. It wasn't even our idea... it was the other teams.

Danielle: Yeah.Eric: When that happened, we felt really, really betrayed by Danny and Ozwald because it's hard to make friends on the race and we actually felt like they were our friends.Danielle: And then they back-stabbed us.Eric: They stabbed us in the back. You now they can say they had their reasons, but Charla and Mirna offered them money, they said, "Oh we already have money." They could have given the money back to Dustin and Kandice.Danielle: They could have given the money back.Eric: They could have begged for money, which you're allowed to do, whether you're a guy or girl you can beg. We originally got some money when we were kind of low on funds. It felt really personal. You know, maybe it's strategy but if you shake my hand and say you're not going to do something -- then don't do it -- because I wouldn't do it to you.

Reality TV World: Eric, you commented during the ninth leg that if you and Danielle couldn't win you'd want Ozzy and Danny to win. What was you relationship with Danny and Ozzy like both before and after the eleventh leg's Yield?

Eric: Before the Yield, I counted Danny and Ozwald as friends...Danielle: Absolutely...Eric: I really liked them. I thought they were awesome. I thought they were hilarious... you know, two really cool guys. Afterwards, I mean honestly, it was like they were dead to me. The fact they didn't even say anything -- come up to us at a Pit Stop -- and actually say anything like, "Guys, we're sorry... whatever."Danielle: Yeah, they didn't even like apologize to us.Eric: If it was me, I felt like they should have approached us and said whatever, I mean I would have been pissed and yelled at them probably. But you know what? If you did something wrong then I think it's up to you to man-up and apologize. They chose not to so I chose to not really talk to them anymore.

Reality TV World: Eric, you really seemed to really step-up your game following the Yield. Did you feel it gave you that extra push to win?

Eric: I mean definitely that leg...Danielle: It lit a fire under our butts...Eric: That leg... I mean all it does is -- the Yield -- if it doesn't benefit you, the team doesn't lose, it just makes them mad. I think you see it throughout the history of [The Amazing Race] that the yield is hardly ever used effectively. (laughing) It got out Dani and Danielle [during The Amazing Race's ninth season], but it's rare that it actually works the way that it could. For me, I'm so competitive as it is, it really just pissed me off more. I wanted so badly just to beat Danny and Ozwald at that point.Danielle: Yeah...Eric: Like, I was after them. They were No. 1 on my list.

Reality TV World: When you were marked for elimination following the tenth leg were you confident you'd be able to overcome the penalty?

Danielle: We just figured if we run the leg really fast, at least we'd have the opportunity to come in ahead of a few teams. But you never know what's going to happen. We were lucky Danny and Ozzy got lost, or else we would have been screwed.Eric: You know as it comes down to it, the way it plays out if you look back, we wouldn't have been in any trouble. But you never know. Just at the time, we were really, really stressing it a lot and it was not a situation that you want to be in. It was just a horrible feeling that you know you have to get there and wait. I mean if you watch it, I was just pacing back and forth... I was going nuts.

Reality TV World: How did it feel to learn you were Yielded by Dustin and Kandice that first time during the ninth leg?

Eric: The first time we got Yielded... it wasn't expected at all.Danielle: Rather it was a waste for [Dustin and Kandice] because it was like the beginning of the leg...Eric: Danielle was more upset than I was. I wasn't even mad, I was just like, "Whatever." I was joking around and stuff, but it's part of the race. I know it's there to be used. I'm not like mad at them for using it unless they actively tell me they're not going to use it and they do so.

Reality TV World: What was your relationship with Dustin and Kandice like before and after the Yield?

Eric: The queens I think [out] of most teams kept to themselves a lot. They really were just focused so much on the race. They didn't interact with the other teams. Like, we would talk to a lot of the other teams during downtime, and they would kind of just stick to themselves. They can put books on their heads and walk around with good posture and do stuff like that (laughing with Danielle). I'm not into that kind of thing...

Reality TV World: Eric, is a "dirty pirate hooker" a hooker for pirates or a hooker that's also a pirate?

Eric: A "dirty pirate hooker," it's actually just a quote from Anchorman, the Will Ferrell movie. I was not implying that [Dustin and Kandice] did not wash themselves; got paid to have *** with anybody; were actively looted and plundered on the open seas. It was just a simple saying... I'm not sure what happened with that.

Reality TV World: Danielle why did Eric make you do all the Roadblocks that you commented seemed to be designed for guys?

Danielle (laughing): Because he thinks I'm a guy. My name's Daniel not Danielle... he's not sure. The thing is we really don't know what these Roadblocks are -- we just read like a really quick little sentence and we have to just pick who's going to do it. You don't exactly...Eric: You have to do an equal amount...Danielle: You have to do equal amounts. So I mean we really didn't know what they were going to be. I mean if I was going to be able to finish a Roadblock, believe me I would have done it.Eric: In my defense, for example, in the letter opening task [the fourth leg's Roadblock], she was like, "I don't want to do a Roadblock today." Because we have to like put on our microphones, and like plastic if we knew it was going to be a water task and Danielle didn't want to do it. And when she saw the rats [for the fifth leg's Roadblock], she was like, "I'm not doing the rats." And then the [Macau] tower jump -- we were going to make her do that too -- but she didn't want to... she's afraid of heights. So I mean, she acts like I'm choosing these for her... She's actively declining to do Roadblocks if it's something she doesn't want to do.

Reality TV World: What was the feeling when your flight was delayed in Kilimanjaro and you were stuck in an airport with Joe Baldassare and Bill Bartek ?

Eric (sighs): Honestly? Those were the two people I did not want to be stuck with for like the whole race... honestly. Anybody else would have been better...Danielle: Oh I know. They were so annoying...Eric: We were actually making up ground. We were still behind teams, but we weren't that behind. We were coming back again. So it was just very frustrating for us that we had just made-up some ground from the last leg and then we're back behind again.

Reality TV World: Eric you commented at the beginning of the eighth leg that Danielle wasn't as focused as she should be. Why did you think that and do you think it was affecting your race?

Eric: I think Danielle... she's a girly-girl. She's a strong girly-girl, but she's a New York girl who likes to shop, eat sushi, pamper herself...Danielle (laughing): Sushi?Eric: The thing was, I felt like she was not looking at it like it was a competition. She was just more like, "Oh..."Danielle: I was not!Eric (as Danielle): "I want a cappuccino..."Danielle: One day I got coffee and that's all they talk about. Jesus!Eric: You know what? The thing is I'm eating like 5-day-old sandwiches made with God knows what, she's complaining because she doesn't want to eat an apple because it's not going to fill her up. You know how much you want to choke somebody saying that to you?Danielle: If you loved me, you wouldn't want to choke me. You'd want to just let me get my coffee and that would be the end of it.Eric: That's not the end of it.Danielle (fake crying): If you loved me that's what you would do!

Reality TV World: Eric did you purposely eat your sausage more slowly during the "Eat it Up" Detour task because you knew Joe and Bill -- your "Intersection" partners -- were marked for elimination?

Eric: Well I'm actually pretty good at eating things generally. But Danielle and I talked about it. We wanted the Guidos to go away. When we got to the task and [Charla and Mirna and Dustin and Kandice] were already there [working as a team], we could've eaten faster. At that point, it was more of a strategic move to slow the pace down for ourselves. We knew we had a half-an-hour cushion with the Guidos, we were happy to be with them.Danielle: Yes.Eric: We wanted them gone. So I think we'll pretty much take credit for that leg for helping to get them out. We could have done a better job. If it had been a real situation, and they were ahead of us, we could have done a lot better.

Reality TV World: What was going through your minds when you got pulled off the flight in Johannesburg during the sixth leg?

Danielle: I wanted to kill somebody. It was one of those things that we were kind of having a bad feeling about. Everything was very unorganized in those airports, so it was like made-up lists of who was confirmed, who was not... It was ridiculous.Eric: We knew the flight was overbooked...Danielle: It was a mess.Eric: I had a really bad feeling, I said, "I don't think this is..."Danielle: He had a bad feeling.Eric: ... It was one of those situations where I could see it happening. When it happened, I guess we could have said, "We have tickets. We're staying." But I didn't want to go to jail in a foreign country over an argument. I mean Danielle was more upset. I was really upset. I tried to bribe people. Once we were off, she was freaking out and I was just like, "Okay. Let's figure it out from here. Let's go from here." I mean you can't dwell on things that go wrong. You have to just push forward.

Reality TV World: During the fifth leg, Eric you said you liked making fun of the Guidos. Why was that?

Eric: The Guidos, honestly were just... bless them they've got a loving relationship -- but to me, and my experience with them -- are just very odd individuals. They take everything ultra-serious... Everything is something that's a conspiracy against them. They're just very...Danielle: They're very high-strung.Eric: They're extremely, extremely high-strung. And it's hilarious to me because we weren't even actually trying to pass. I [told our cab driver], "Don't pass! Don't pass!" But he doesn't speak English, so he was like, "Pass! Pass!" and he tried to speed up and I was like, "No! No!" Just watching Bill, his reaction [as we passed him], like his whole body turning... it was hilarious to us.Danielle: It was funny...Eric: I mean as far as the Guidos, we already had a pretty bad relationship because they stood in-front of my car... You know, they just weren't our favorite people.Danielle: No...Eric: If I know I'm under your skin in a situation, I'm going to keep digging at it. It's going to make you make mistakes, and that's what I try to do.

Reality TV World: How did you feel when Rob and Amber Mariano were eliminated at the end of the fourth leg?

Eric: I think all the teams were pretty excited Rob and Amber were eliminated.Danielle: We were pretty shocked.Eric: I mean, we were excited but we were also shocked. They had gotten three first [place finishes] in a row... but all racers know it takes one mistake and you're gone. And that's what [Rob and Amber] did. They chose the wrong Detour [during the fourth leg], and didn't get it done as quickly as they wanted to.

Reality TV World: Danielle why did you decide to work with Amber during the third leg's Roadblock challenge at the fishery?

Danielle (after recalling the situation with Eric): Yeah it was out of circumstance. I mean, it's weird because it's not that much a game where your actually making alliances. It's not like Survivor.Eric: You don't make alliances with Rob and Amber...Danielle: Especially Rob and Amber.

Reality TV World: Eric, when we talked to Joe and Bill as well as Ozwald and Danny, they made some comments that they thought you might be homophobic. I wanted to give you a chance to respond to that.

Eric: Joe and Bill, I don't care that they're gay. To them it's a bigger deal because I guess they have to deal with some stuff in their relationship, like throughout, you know? I don't know what it's like to be a gay male 20 years ago... I have no idea. But the problem is everything you say to them, they take it as me saying it because they're gay. Me calling them freaks has nothing to do with ***uality, it's because they're freaks. They freak-out about everything. Their personality... you can call a man a nervous-Nelly, it just means everything that happens they're just like, "Oh my God what's happening! Oh no! Oh no!" I called them queens. They are queens. They're older males, who are gay...Danielle: They're gay and act like women.Eric: I live in South Florida. I'm a waiter. I have plenty of gay friends. And you know what? They call themselves queens. Danny and Oswald, I treated those guys as well as I could treat anybody. They were my friends. I never said anything about them being gay... I don't care if you're gay. It's a personality thing. Joe and Bill, I didn't like their personalities. It has nothing to do with them being gay, it's a simple as that. If I don't like you, I don't like you. I don't care if you're straight, gay, blue or purple... it doesn't matter to me. I really feel like that they just want a reason, they want something to say, and to me it's actually -- especially for Danny and Ozwald to say it -- because I never treated them poorly. Never. For them to act that way, for me it shows a lot about their character then even Yielding us.

Reality TV World: Were you surprised to be considered All-Stars considering you never raced together in the first place? How did that all unfold?

Eric: You know I think what it is was, I felt like an All-Star contender with Jeremy as a team. I felt like we were probably one of the most dominant teams in The Amazing Race history. And I knew they wouldn't have us as an alpha-male team because they didn't want an alpha-male team on the [All-Stars] race because they didn't want to risk having first places or second places throughout, which we did our first season...Danielle: Right.Eric: So they didn't ask Jeremy and I to do it, they asked Danielle and I to do it because we met on the race and were dating. And so I assume that's why they did it. But you know I felt like I definitely earned my spot, and you know obviously Danielle didn't do as well [during The Amazing Race's ninth season, when she finished sixth with her partner as opposed to Eric finishing second with his], but you know she's a strong girl and you know the creators of the show knew us and knew our relationship and obviously thought we could bring something to the table. And you know how it is... we won.

Reality TV World: Could you briefly describe how you two formed a romantic relationship while competing against one another in Season 9?

Eric: Yeah, ummm....Danielle: He... (laughing) When me and Dani were actually just auditioning [for The Amazing Race 9], we actually saw Jeremy and Eric in California for the audition and we were like, a little bit flirty. So we knew something was going to happen, of course, on the show because we did a lot of flirting. So we went on the show, and they're just like tards, those two boys...Eric: Yeah, we're kind of perverted.Danielle: They're very perverted. But you know what? Me and my friend Danielle have really good senses of humor as well, and we don't take anything like that personally... So we had a really good time with Jeremy and Eric -- even though we didn't last as long as them -- the amount of time we did spend on the race, it was always fun because on our downtime we were flirting and all that kind of stuff. But the truth of the matter is Eric liked me so much he called me as soon as he got home, so...Eric: We started talking on the phone...Danielle: A lot!Eric: ... a lot, and we started taking some trips back and forth. I actually moved up to New York this [past] summer to try-out how it would be. And you know, actually, we did pretty well but it was just too much too soon. We tried to do long-distance and we went on [All-Stars] to kind of see, you know, how our relationship would hold up, if we wanted to look into moving to either place again. Since then, Danielle and I have actually broken up...

Reality TV World: So you're not together any more...

Danielle: Yeah...Eric: It was after the race. I mean we're still cool, we're good friends, it's just as far as a relationship goes, it's not in the cards for either of us.

Reality TV World: Who did you consider your biggest competition and why?

Danielle: We didn't really think of anybody as big competition because...Eric: Danielle was afraid of Rob and Amber. You know, [Uchenna and Joyce Agu] had already won [The Amazing Race 7]... you know, they're great people. I mean every team -- [Teri and Ian Pollack] got second [on The Amazing Race's third season] -- you can't count anybody out. It's so much stuff mixed in, luck, skill, you know all these things. We know that you're running against the course. I mean you hear that a lot. You're not racing against other teams, you're racing against the course. You are. If you run a flawless leg, you're not gonad go home. As long as you get the flight that everyone's getting that's running the leg, you're not going home. It's impossible.

Reality TV World: How are things going in your life currently and how are you going to spend the $1 million?

Danielle: Things are going well. We're still going to be at our jobs for a little while because you don't want to just rely on this money because then it will be gone. So we're definitely just going to go on with our lives and buy ourselves some nice things, go on a few nice vacations... but nothing crazy.Eric: Things are going well for me. I'm in a new relationship... just working, hanging out. Just enjoying this, you know? I'm happy to have my friends and family around for it and I just want to see how the next couple of months go. Maybe try-out some other options with television things if possible. If not, I'll just live under a bridge at the beach with my money in a pillowcase.

Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner surprised us all by winning The Amazing Race: All-Stars this season. The two were the only hybrid team in the field. They met on season 9, began dating soon after, and were invited to participate on All-Stars together. Good decision. Their race was tumultuous at times, we saw them arguing throughout the season, but they pulled it together and became one of the more formidable teams in the history of The Amazing Race. Eric and Danielle stopped by and talked with us earlier today about their time on the show.

So, you guys won. How does it feel? Was it tough keeping it a secret for these last few months?

Danielle: It really hasn’t been that hard actually, because I had it set in my mind that we’re not telling anybody. We’re not legally allowed to tell anybody and it’s just more exciting in the end when nobody knows.

Eric: You know, it’s actually a lot better keeping it a secret than not telling my family I got second last time and to be sad and disappointed. And when it’s going to be a good result, it’s a lot easier.

I’m a little curious as to how you guys got onto All-stars as a team. Was it your idea or did CBS come to you and say, “Would this work, teaming up for All-Stars?”

Eric: Well, CBS knew we were dating. We had actually gone to California for some prizes I won on my previous season and we had seen some people involved with the race and they knew we were dating. And when the option of All-Stars came up, I know there were some other teams they had thought about, some hybrid teams I guess, and they offered it to us and said they were excited about the possibility of us doing it, and we talked about it and decided it would be a pretty cool idea.

Do you have any idea what you’re going to do with the money yet?

Eric: Nothing actually exciting.

Danielle: Nothing exciting at all.

Eric: As bad as it sounds, like I would love to just say I was just going to go blow it and be crazy and have parties everyday for the next year, but I want to buy a house, I think it’s a good investment right now, buy my own house, and just kind of take it easy and live off of it a little bit and still work and have fun…

Throughout the season, mostly in the earlier episodes, you two were at each other’s throats a few times; was that overblown at all in editing or was it really rough at points?

Danielle: It was definitely overblown, it’s ridiculous. I mean, we did fight and we did argue, but that’s all they showed. We weren’t like that 24/7, that would be ridiculous, you know? But of course, they were just focusing on the little bickering we did, but we weren’t like that all the time, we got along most of the time I would say, but you’re in a very stressful situation, it’s very difficult to get along with anybody at that point with what we were going through…

Eric: I think if they take anybody’s life and film the worst 10 minutes of your day, they’re going to get an opinion of somebody and you’re going to see…they’re just going to make you think that’s how they are and this race especially, they made a lot of the teams look like they were at each other’s throats, and it’s not how it was most of the time.

Was it difficult to watch that from home?

Eric: No, it was kind of humorous actually to watch and remember why we were fighting and getting in that huge argument for cappuccino just seems ridiculous for everybody…

Danielle: It was like, who cares at the end of the day. But you know what, it’s like you’re so nuts, that the littlest of things was an argument.

Specifically, was there anything that was edited out of this season that you wish they would have shown more of?

Danielle: Well, they edited out in last night’s episode, there was a road block that we had to jump off of a cliff and I was so proud of myself but they didn’t show it. What else…

Eric: We got to do the one challenge over there, the rock climbing, and nobody did it. I actually did the rock climbing and I was kind of mad they didn’t show me do that because nobody else could do it, I completed it. So I was kind of bummed they didn’t put that in there.

Who did you feel were your toughest opponents throughout the season?

Eric: You know, honestly, you hear it a lot, but people…honestly for this race, it’s the race course. I mean you can’t really, looking at the team, so much luck is involved and making the right choice, the race is setup so that anybody can win. And having done it once, I already know that, so I didn’t really feel like we had anybody to compete against except ourselves, and if we ran a good leg, if you run a perfect leg, you can’t lose because somebody else is going to mess up.

What would you say was your favorite place to visit on this race or the previous one?

Eric: On the previous one I really liked Greece and Thailand and stuff like that. On this one, I liked Patagonia, I liked down in Argentina, I thought it was really pretty.

Danielle: I liked Argentina actually too…

Eric: You see the glaciers and stuff like that, it was really nice.

I’m just curious about last night, how many minutes did you beat Dustin and Kandice by?

Danielle: We beat Dustin and Kandice by 10 minutes I would say. It felt like a long time, maybe it wasn’t even that long, but it felt like a long time.

Eric: Yeah, I dunno, it felt like we were there…it felt like quite a while. So it could have been anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes or so.

Danielle, you especially seemed pretty stressed out in that cab ride back; was that just the most brutal ride ever?

Danielle: It was so stressful. It’s like the extreme. I mean, after all these weeks and all this stress you go through, and it’s like those final few more seconds that you’re going to be at the finish. You’re like, please let this be over and let us win. I mean, you’re that close, it’s the worse feeling ever, it really is.

Anything coming up in your personal lives that you’d like to discuss at all?

Danielle: I mean, there’s nothing set in stone right now, but we’re both going to try to do things, pursue things that we enjoy and see what happens. Nothing's set yet, but we’ll see, you never know.

After 28 days and five continents, Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner, the only pair of contestants who had not previously teamed up on a prior edition of the globe-trotting reality show, were crowned the $1 million winners of the 11th, all-star season.

"I'm so happy to be here," Turner, a 23-year-old bartender, said after crossing the finish line. "I'm shaking. I can't believe this is real right now…I got into the best shape being in this race with Eric because he kicked my butt, the race kicked my butt."

Sanchez, a 28-year-old waiter whom Turner met and began dating after competing on opposing teams—neither of which won—for the ninth season of the series, expressed similar joy at being the first to cross the finish line in San Francisco.

"I'm so happy to be here with Danielle," he said. "From what I went through last time—coming in second, so close—I mean, to be in first is just unbelievable."

The duo beat out Dustin Seltzer and Kandice Pelletier, the "beauty queens" from season 10 who placed second, and season-6 cousins Charla Baklayan Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan, who came in third. The latter teams were trying to become the first all-female duos to win the race.

The 12th and final leg of the 45,000 mile journey saw the pairs travel from Guam to Tokyo to Hawaii and finally to San Francisco.

All three teams were on relatively equal footing upon arriving at San Francisco's Old Mint. There, the three teams were forced to answer a series of four questions testing how well they knew each other and the rest of the 11 teams that competed in The Amazing Race: All-Stars. Only after the partners matched answers to the questions—including which team was the least trustworthy, most overrated, the most likely to keep in touch and had the best sense of humor—were the duos able to move forward.

Sanchez and Turner managed to match all the answers, giving them the edge they needed to be the first to arrive at the finish line, the city's botanical gardens, where host Phil Keoghan and the previously ousted eight teams were waiting to greet the winners.

"I definitely knew I could do anything I want to do, that's what the race taught me," Turner said.

Sanchez, meanwhile, said he saw his million-dollar relationship "progressing" as a result of their win and that he was "really proud" of his girlfriend.

However, there may be some competition on the horizon. After winning the race, both team members were allowed to phone family members—and Sanchez's first call was to his former partner, Jeremy Ryan, who promised Sanchez a "spanking" upon his return home.

CBS has already committed to another season of the series, which averaged about 10 million viewers this cycle and has won four straight Emmys for Best Reality Competition.

If you watched the the conclusion to the Amazing Race Sunday night, you probably noticed it had a local look to it. That's because the three final teams touched down on Oahu for their second to last leg of the reality adventure.

The teams raced to Kamaka air hanger, boarded a chopper to Lanai and had to perform tasks at both Kaumalapau Harbor and Shipwreck beach. Once those tasks were finished, the teams boarded a plane at Honolulu airport bound for San Francisco.

The winners of the race and the million dollars are dating couple Eric and Danielle.

Eric and Danielle on FUSE's The SauceEric and Danielle on FOX REALITY REMX

This morning after finishini mowing the lawn I go to see:

Eric and Danielle on REGIS and KELLY LIVE

It was all highly repetitive. Interviewers ask them the same stupid questions, so they get the same carefully rehearsed answers each and every time. Although they are engaging individuals, Eric and Danielle appear to be the epitome of BORING when you hear the same thing for the second, third and fourth time.

I think the most repetetive winner interview was Tyler from James and Tyler of TAR10. Every time he was asked what he wanted to do with the money he said "I've never had a piece of land to call my own!"

“For the People That Don't Like Us, I'm Glad We Ruined Your Season” – An Interview with The Amazing Race: All-Stars’ Winners, Eric & Danielle by Teeuwynn Woodruff -- 05/08/2007

Eric & Danielle were the only team on All-Stars who never actually raced together before – yet they won it all! What do Eric & Danielle say about what it was like to race together? Are they still a couple? How do they feel about racing with each other instead of their original partners? And what does Eric have to say about all those nasty things he said about some of his fellow racers?

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Eric & Danielle, and thank you for talking to RealityNewsOnline today!

Eric & Danielle: Hello!

Eric: Thank you for talking to us.

RNO: First of all, congratulations on your big win!

Danielle: Thank you!

RNO: Did you guys expect to win?

Eric: No!

Danielle: No. Definitely not. The only time I think we had any inkling that we were going to win was just probably the last leg, when we were in San Francisco, we had a chance. Any other leg before that, we kept getting shot down. There was no way we thought we were even going to make it to the final three.

Eric: Going into the race, I really felt like we had a good chance against the other teams. I felt like we had a good shot. And then, after we started racing, we did pretty well the first couple of legs. But, after we got yanked off the plane [in South Africa], it was downhill and it was just survival.

RNO: But you made it through! What are your plans for the money?

Eric: Danielle's going to give me her share because she loves me so much.

Danielle: Yeah. I love him so much.

RNO: That sounds like a pretty good deal for you, Eric.

Eric: No. Danielle's just going to invest. Go ahead, you can talk.

Danielle: Yeah, I'm going to invest my money. I'll of course spend a little on myself, but I'm not going to go crazy with it. I definitely want to set it up for myself, for later on, when I want to buy a house. I want to do things the right way.

Eric: I'm going to pay my taxes.

RNO: Richard Hatch would be proud.

Eric: Exactly. I'm going to take it right out and put it in the bank and get some interest on it while waiting for tax time. I'm going to buy a house in South Florida and take care of some family. Just enjoy life and save some money up so I can be a little more sound. I don't want to blow through it. I want to, you know, just keep it as I need it.

RNO: Speaking of love, what is the status of your relationship these days?

Eric: Speaking of love...

Danielle: Nonexistent! We're not together any more.

Eric: We are no longer dating. Still cool, though. We still talk. Everything's fine, it's just we felt like we were going down anyways, before we started racing. The race just pushed it along a little quicker. It was a long-distance relationship. She's in New York, I'm in Florida. Neither of us was going to move. I lived in New York part of the Summer and I didn't really like it.

RNO: You felt that running the race helped you come to that decision?

Eric: Yeah, I did. I mean... we were trying to see what we wanted to do. We wanted to look into it and on the race we got along pretty well, but there was a lot of stuff that both of us didn't like about each other. That just kind of helped speed it up a bit. It's better this way.

RNO: Do you think your relationship was fairly portrayed on screen?

Danielle: No, definitely not. They show a lot of bickering and fighting and crying and mad faces. That's really not even us. It kind of sucks because we actually do joke around a lot and laugh a lot. So the fact that they didn't show any of that is annoying because now everyone thinks we're this horrible, bickering couple. Everyone thinks Eric's a jerk. I have to explain that he's not. Everybody at my job, everyone says, “Oh, that guy's a jerk!” But he's really not. He really isn't. I'm not as big of a baby as they made me look either.

Eric: No, you're only --

Danielle: And I'm not as annoying as they made me look either. I'm really not. I mean we had a few bickering fights that were stupid and that was it.

Eric: We actually got along pretty well. We had a lot of fun when we were doing stuff – stressful times. We were also in a very stressful situation, being behind everybody.

Danielle: We're both very competitive. We're not there to fool around and to not win this. We didn't want to go to sequester, we wanted to finish it. The fact that we just kept getting pushed down was making us angry. Who do you take it out on? Of course, your teammate because, like when you're married, you take it out on your wife or your husband. It's just natural. That's what we did. We took our frustrations out on each other.

RNO: You're the only All-Stars team that wasn't a team on a prior race. How did you guys come to be on All-Stars?

Eric: What happened was, we actually started dating after the show, and then on a trip to California we saw some production people and inquired about The Amazing Race and if they'd use us as a couple. They said they didn't know if we're having anything happening with All-Stars. We forgot about it, actually. Then they called us a couple of months later and they said they were doing All-Stars and wanted us as a team. I don't know if we planted the seed or not, but it was kind of the right time for everything to be happening.

RNO: That must have been exciting. Were you surprised?

Eric: Yeah, we were really surprised. We actually even discussed if we wanted to do it. That sounds, I guess, probably weird to the fans, but most of the racers... It's so much to do. It's a huge sacrifice you make. You can't talk to anyone for a month. It's extremely stressful. It's a lot of fun, but there's a lot to it you don't see. You see the exciting stuff on TV, the climbing and jumping off and all the cool places you go. But you don't see the 18-hour flights and all the fighting, day-long stays at airports...

RNO: It looks like it's a very grinding, tiring experience.

Eric: I think this one, if you ask all the racers, this was probably more stressful than their first.

RNO: What made it more stressful?

Eric: The travel aspect. The shortage of flights... My first race, even if you missed the first flight, you'd get on the second flight. On this race, you'd miss the first flight, the second flight, the third flight, and catch the fourth flight. You're so spread out and you might not even catch the fourth flight!

Danielle: Like us – when we caught the fourth we were yanked off of it!

RNO: You were stuck in the airport [in Africa] for days.

Eric: The better part of our trip was spent in airports.

Danielle: I hate airports now.

Eric: I'm sticking to Greyhound.

RNO: How did you prepare for All-Stars?

Eric: Well, we didn't really have a strategy. I told Danielle to learn how to drive a stick shift and learn how to read a map and get on a treadmill. Guess which one of those she did? None.

RNO: Is that true, Danielle?

Danielle: No, I did work out, I work out all the time anyway.

Eric: Did you run on a treadmill all the time?

Danielle: No, I did not run. I'm not a runner.

Eric: Danielle worked out making her body look good, but not on any cardio. Danielle got her hair done, got a manicure – which is really necessary while on the race, nice fingernails. It really helps when you're climbing rock walls and picking up flounder, having your nails looking their best.

I mean, as far as just for me, I already knew what to do because I had done it once and gotten far. I didn't have to do any studying. I mean, I looked at flags...

RNO: After your previous experience losing to the Hippies?

Eric: I tried to find out things about certain countries, look at capitols of countries, and things that it may help to know. I'm already active and work out a lot. I play a lot of volleyball, so my cardio's good. Nothing else.

RNO: Danielle, what was most different about running this race with Eric, instead of your original partner, Dani?

Danielle: Probably the main difference is that he treated me like he was a drill sergeant or something. He was like, out-of-control nuts. Dani just, you know, laughed the whole race, which is probably why we got out the fifth episode and won this one.

Eric laughs.

Danielle: It was just a lot more difficult and I did a lot more bickering with him. It was just a lot less stressful last year. That was the main difference. I mean, me and Danielle didn't take it seriously at all. I realize that now after this season where I made it to the end, all the things you have to do to book flights and stuff. Me and Danielle didn't do half of that. So, it's amazing how we made it to the fifth episode. I don't even know who was in charge of those things, because I don't feel like either one of us was in charge of anything in those airports. I see what everyone does now and it's, like, amazing to me.

RNO: What's Dani doing now?

Danielle: She's engaged, actually. She's working in the city, like a nine-to-five job.

RNO: When you were on the plane from Tokyo to Hawaii, where did you think Charla & Mirna were when they didn't show up for the flight?

Eric: We had no idea!

Danielle: And we still don't.

Eric: I know they found something somehow, but they get the most amazing breaks with flights, and they're really smart. I don't know if they researched something I can't find, or if they have a travel agent on hold...

Danielle: We looked on the internet --

Eric: Yeah, we looked on the internet. We looked at the same internet, looked at the same stuff as everybody, talked to everybody. Nobody told us about that flight. I guess they just got lucky and looked at one of the boards and it showed that there was a flight coming in.

RNO: How did you manage to do so much better than the other teams on the final challenge at the mint? You were the only ones to complete it.

Eric: Danielle talks a lot.

Danielle: I talk a lot and I gossip a lot. All of those questions just came very easily to us. I would have gotten it on the first try if I was thinking more toward the end of the race. I was thinking of the beginning of the race, so I went through the list, because our first enemies who we thought were untrustworthy, were the Guidos. So, I was thinking Guidos right away. Then I thought about the girls – we can't trust the girls. And then I thought, “I know who he doesn't like now – it's Danny & Ozzy,” because of Yielding us. That's how I was thinking. If I was thinking just right that minute, I would have gotten it on the first try.

RNO: So it sounds like you’re saying that Danielle's propensity for talking about people is actually what got you guys the million dollars at the end.

Danielle: Yep! It is!

RNO: Eric, do you really feel other teams are being wrong or immoral by Yielding you?

Eric: No, not at all. I'm glad you asked. I actually wasn't upset with the Blondes doing the Yield. It's part of the game. I joke around and call them names, but that's not serious. That's more just being silly. I don't know why they Yielded us because I didn't think there was that big a reason to, but you never know what's going through someone else's head. As far as Danny & Oswald, the reason I was so upset was because they made a pact with us, off camera, and Charla & Mirna, that we would not Yield each other. It was their idea and we shook hands on it. We valued them as friends up until that point. We got along with them really well. As much as you can have a friend on the race, we felt they were our friends.

RNO: So, what did you feel when you saw on TV that Dustin & Kandice asked them to Yield you?

Eric: I still fault Danny & Oswald because it was their choice. They sold their Yield. It was their choice to sell it. They could have... if I was them, I don't know, even though it's just as sneaky, I would have taken Dustin & Kandice's money and Yielded them anyway. They could have – Charla & Mirna asked if they wanted money and they would have given it to them. They could have said, “Okay, blondes, the deal's off.” They could have begged for money – which you can do. It is allowed. It's not the most fun thing to do, but I'd much rather beg than break my word to one of my friends. To sell my friendship for $45... I'd rather beg.

RNO: Have you forgiven them?

Eric: You know what, I thought I had. I talked to them and I said, “You know what? I want to understand. Listen, I don't want to be mad at you guys about this whatever.” Then, I thought everything was cool, but then in interviews they're still talking a lot of trash about us – me personally. I just think it shows a lot about their character. I think they're very bitter.

They think that we did something wrong to them, when I feel like they did something wrong to us. If they wanted to apologize, they should have done so. I don't like the way they've acted since. I think it's just – they talk about how they want to make sure they keep their moral fiber intact and not do this or that, but I think they just, you know, are hypocrites who went against everything they said.

RNO: What was different about having Danielle as a partner instead of Jeremy?

Eric: Honestly, it was completely different. I mean, doing the race with one of your best friends is so stress-free. Especially when he's competitive like I am, and a good athlete. Jeremy and I had a great time. It was just fun. With the race now, I had to deal with, you know, girl problems and, you know, sensitivity issues. If I yelled at Jeremy to pick up a fish, he wouldn't cry and be mad at me. It's just a different dynamic. She did a great job. I have to watch what I say to her, be careful about her feelings, you know. It's having a relationship for everyone to see, but you have to really monitor what you do.

RNO: And What was with Jeremy in that phone call at the end of the race?

Eric: Jeremy – he's nuts. I don't even know what he was doing. I saw that and... First of all, he just woke up from a nap. He's wearing this amazing “Life is Fun” tee shirt he got at Goodwill. He just confuses me. I'm not sure what he was doing, but I have to actually watch the show again because I couldn't hear everything he was saying. I don't even remember exactly what he said. Jeremy – that's just how he is and we all have fun. I'm not sure what exactly he was doing.

RNO: So, Eric, who's a better race partner – Danielle or Jeremy?

Eric: Um....

Danielle: He's afraid to answer!

Eric: I'm sorry Danielle, but Jeremy's the best partner. Even though we won!

Danielle: We've had arguments about that comment.

Eric: Even though we won, I would have rather done the race with Jeremy.

RNO: Danielle, if you ran the race again, would you rather run it with Eric or Dani?

Danielle: I don't want to race it with anyone. I never want to do it again!

RNO: Eric, do you feel like you gave Danielle too hard a time?

Eric: I look back and I see some things I said that were maybe a little harsh, but at the same time, we were competing. She needed to be pushed. I don't think I was trying to be mean to her, but I know – and Danielle will tell you too – that we wouldn't be here, we wouldn't have won, if I didn't push her. She's a girl. She's a girly-girl. She's looking at her nails right now! I'm not even kidding, she's playing with her manicure. It is what it is and she needed to be pushed. I knew what it takes to win The Amazing Race because I got so close. Obviously, I did something right because I got second the first time and first the next. Obviously, I can't be that crazy.

RNO: Danielle, do you agree with what Eric said?

Danielle: I definitely need to be pushed a little bit. There are just ways of going about it. He knows. I already told him on the race... The only reason he got me so angry was because I knew that he was going to watch it and be mad at himself for not enjoying it more. I know Eric, how his personality really is, like so intense about it that he wasn't even enjoying himself. So, he was taking a lot of his intensity out on me. It was just – he was ruining my fun of the race. That’s all that came out at the end of the day, that I was angry about. He even admitted it himself, watching it, that he wishes I would have enjoyed it a little bit more. It's okay that he pushed me, whatever. But there's a way of going about things and he had no... class, when it came to pushing me a certain way.

Eric: What? Are you rambling now?

Danielle: I'm falling asleep! I sound like you! You speak in a monotone voice, you know that?

RNO: What was the hardest moment on the race for you guys?

Eric: Probably getting yanked off the airplane.

Danielle: Yeah. That was probably the worst.

Eric: I mean, I was begging people, I was trying to offer them money. I was like – $50, $100! And this is, you know, in Africa. I mean everyone flying on planes aren't generally poor, but $100 U.S. in South Africa is a pretty decent amount of money.

RNO: Did you think that might be the end of the race for you, when you got taken off of the plane?

Eric: Yeah, we really did.

Danielle: We really did think that.

Eric: And there was actually an old guy, when I was trying to see if anyone would take the money, who was just like, “get off the plane!” I really wanted to just grab him and choke him to death. We only needed one person to get off of the plane. I was hoping that he would have a heart attack. But he didn't.

RNO: Eric, I've heard you've called some other teams up and apologized to them, in advance, for various things you said about them on the race. Is that true:

Eric: I talked to Joe & Bill. I apologized in advance, but after I heard some of the stuff – I wanted just to make sure that... I called them Queens, but I wanted them to know that I wasn't being derogatory toward them based on their ***uality. What I said was based on their personalities and interactions with me, not on anything else.

I guess the only person I really felt bad about was Ian. I said he was loud. I have nothing but respect for Teri & Ian. They're class act people all the way. I really felt bad because you just talk sometimes and you forget that cameras are there. I was just feeling that Ian was loud – which he was being that day – but I didn't want people to think that's what I felt about him. When it comes down to it, it's a race. It's not really indicative of everyone's personalities. I didn't want people to think that's how I felt about them.

Some people hold grudges. Like Joe & Bill still hold a grudge, I think. Danny & Oswald hold a grudge against me. If they choose to, that's fine. But if somebody calls me an a-hole, you know what? If I was being one, then I was. I can take it. Call me whatever you want, I'm not going to hate you for it. It is what it is. I wanted to make sure that people know that, even though I may have said something, it's not necessarily what I think now.

RNO: Do you stay in touch with any teams from either your first season or All-Stars?

Eric: Yes, actually. I talk to Uchenna & Joyce a lot. I talk to Kandice. So does Danielle. We talk on the internet to a lot of people. Teri & Ian live pretty close to me and I'm going to go fishing with them. From my last season, I'm going to Joseph & Monica's wedding in the end of July. I talk to BJ & Tyler. I've talked to Dave & Lori in Kansas. We talk to a lot of teams – most of them.

RNO: Anything else you'd like to tell us about your experiences on The Amazing Race?

Danielle: It was grueling and hard, but I'm glad I did it – and even more happy that I won. It's definitely a lot worse and a lot harder than people think it is because they only see a little bit of it. It's a really, really hard thing to do.

Eric: I just want to say that, for our fans, we really appreciate the people who like us and don't talk trash. And for the people that don't like us, really I'm glad we ruined your season. You want to say bad things, nothing makes me happier than ruining the haters' season.

RNO: Well, thank you for talking to me. You two ran a really good race.

LMAO, honestly I love danielle after her "they're gay and they act like women" comment. I mean, I know what she means by that and I found it hilarious. I'm glad that's the attitude Eric chose to have. I read that interview (and posted the link above ^^^ ) and kept laughing at the sense of humour these two have.

Like he said: he seems to get along fine with the BQs, him and Danielle even keep in touch with Kandice, but D/O (still love them) are just bitter towards them for the whole thing IMO.

Peach's article, reworked by Andy (http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/the_amazing_race_11/2007_May_10_final_flight), is interesting because it confirms something Apskip was talking about earlier: the fact the racers were funneled into one Oakland flight. Which means the entire HNL sequence was staged (rather than just re-created) nonsense. It's not often you see production slip like that.

Four women came close, but they just couldn't win a daring competition that took people of all backgrounds on the adventure of a lifetime.

"Beauty Queens" Dustin Seltzer and Kandice Pelletier, as well as Mirna Hindoyan, chatted with CTV.ca about their near wins on the "Amazing Race." Mirna's cousin, Charla Faddoul, had prior commitments and was unavailable for an interview.

Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner picked up the US$1 million dollar prize when they won the all-star edition of the race, which featured competitors from previous seasons.

The Beauty Queens arrived second at the final pitstop in San Francisco, with Mirna and Charla a close third.

Dustin and Kandice explain to CTV.ca that even though they didn't win, they were glad that they could at least arrive at the final pit stop.

"That was the biggest disappointment last time, that we didn't get to finish the race around the world. While we would have loved to have been first on that mat," says Kandice.

"We would have loved to also be the first female team to do it, but it was still incredible that we got to do the race a second time."

The former beauty pageant winners also say that in order to do so well on the race, the competitors really needed to rely upon their own personal experiences.

"Whatever makes up who you are as a person, you need to draw from that," says Dustin.

"Our background of competitive sports, like soccer, cross-country, dancing, gave us that hunger to win. That gave us the extra edge."

The model-esque blondes also drew some criticism that they used their looks to get ahead.

"We don't feel like we got by one way or another on our looks. There were some times that it probably did help us out, in terms of getting a taxi, but on the flipside it was also a detriment to us. There were some situations where we didn't feel safe," says Dustin.

However, Kandice concedes they did come off better than others when it came to the way they were portrayed on the show.

"All in all, I think we came across as competitive women. We were always smiling, which is something we always do."

Following Dustin and Kandice to the mat were cousins Charla and Mirna.

One half of the third-place team, Mirna, tells CTV.ca that despite not snagging the title as the best-of-the-best, she is still satisfied with her team's performance.

"I think we did a great job. Last time on the race we were cut short by a risky flight that we decided to take, but this time we had our eyes on our prize. We wanted to make the final three and we accomplished that."

Notorious for their skill at maneuvering their way onto flights, Mirna claims it was an unforeseen obstacle in the final leg that finally did them in.

"Unfortunately the producers forced us to take the same flight into Oakland, so we weren't able to use our airport strategy, which was one of our keys to success. At that point it depended on luck, and what kind of taxi driver you got."

One of the difficulties of taking part in a reality show like "Amazing Race" is that competitors are always at the mercy of the producers and editors in how they are depicted to audiences.

"Charla and I had a lot of run-ins with the editor on this season of the race, and there were a lot of times when he would force me to say certain things. Basically, they would withhold food and we weren't able to eat at the pit stops until he got exactly what he wanted out of us in our interview," says Mirna.

(?? doesn't everyone have to do their interviews before they can be released to the Pitstops?? --comment mine)

"I'm a very determined person and I usually don't let people walk all over me, so we had a lot of run-ins with him. I was expecting a worse edit, but it turned out pretty good."

During the race, Charla and Mirna would put on thick accents when talking to cab drivers - a tactic that many viewers found annoying and even a little condescending.

"A lot of times I try to keep the words simple so people can understand it, and I also try to use an accent so people don't try and take advantage of me," says Mirna. "I've traveled a lot of places in the world where due to the political situation in the world, I've been treated really poorly because I'm an American. When I'm on the race, I'm here to win, so I don't want anything to stand in my way."

I always thought that all of the teams had to go do their interviews, turn in their clues and finish up with production before they could go "eat, sleep, and mingle." Somehow that isn't quite the same thing as having food "withheld"! :lol3:

That is SOP your right. We got to the point I would just ask them what they wanted so the kids could get something to eat and go to bed. I had a lot of fun with those interviews talking in the present tense. Sometimes when we are feeling silly we do it at dinner. :o

Peach i cant find the link, Michael posted it on the C/M forum :jumpy:But Mirna just emailed me, and im going to be interviewing her for the website :happy: :hearts: :yess: :jumpy:Im so excited, Peach i owe you soooo much!!!!! :kissy: :kissy:

Today @ 9:10 pm Report · Post#1028 TAR 12's a go! Phil was just interviewed on ET Canada (promoting his boring new "thrill of a lifetime" show), and stated that the next season of TAR is "in the works". Yay!

AHHH! I think it just passed! I put it on ET Canada right now and they are interviewing somebody else at the moment, hopefully there is more phil, it will probably replay tonight though...I'll check the schedule

peach - hopefully it wont be long before TAR12 spoilers begin, think about it...if the filming will be around the same time as TAR10, the earliest spoilers started coming out at the end of may! :wohoo:

Reality TV World: How surprised were you when Ozzy and Danny Yielded Eric and Danielle during the eleventh leg for a quick buck from Dustin and Kandice?

Charla: Yeah, we were a little bit surprised about the whole Yield situation. But they had no money at that time so... And we did offer them money. And we did actually give them I think some money.Mirna: Actually when Charla was doing the jump off the Macau Tower [the Roadblock challenge where the deal went down], I actually ended up giving Ozwald $20. It wasn't a lot, but it's not like we had a lot of money on us either. The problem was, we didn't have a chance to see them since [the race's previous leg had ended]. So unfortunately, I think another team got to them and worked out a deal before we had a chance to offer them money. I knew they were running low. When we offered it, it was too late. But we gave them money anyway because I didn't want to see my friends struggling on the street and lost. There were a lot of times when we had no money left either...

That's what Mirna was talking about, I don't know why the producers did not put it on the web, maybe they didn't want us to think that Mirna was really nice?

A: I actually haven’t cashed the cheque as I just got it yesterday. It’s sitting in my wallet right now. I really want to be smart with it. I want to make some good and sound investments like buy a house for my family.

Most of the time throughout my life, I’ve lived from paycheck to paycheck. I’ve had to work very hard so it’s good to know that I can take care of my family and myself if anything important or any kind of emergency occurs. That is a really good feeling.

Amazing Race: All-Stars winner says of ex-girlfriend: I never want to race with her again By Jeanmarie Tan

May 15, 2007

IF Eric Sanchez, winner of the recently-concluded The Amazing Race: All-Stars, had a choice, he would have wanted to race with a different partner.

Even though teammate and then-girlfriend Danielle Turner (left, with Sanchez) helped him nab the million-dollar booty, the 28-year-old waiter is convinced he could have reached the finish line with anyone else.

In fact, he felt it was 'exactly' like a 'Flo and Zach' situation.

Flo Pesenti and Zach Behr were the champs of The Amazing Race 3, but Pesenti was roundly criticised for her teary tantrums, whiny attitude and basically letting her long-suffering ex-boyfriend do all the dirty work.

Sanchez told The New Paper over the phone from his South Florida home: 'I take a lot of credit for our win. If I didn't push her so hard, we wouldn't have won.

'She did a good job, don't get me wrong, but I navigated, I drove, I made the decisions. She just had to do the tasks as best she could.

'I definitely could've won the race with any other partner, besides her. I'll never want to do it again with her!'

Unfortunately, poor Turner, a 23-year-old bartender from New York, was unable to defend herself in the usually shared phone interview because she wasn't picking up our calls.

After a one-year long-distance relationship, the couple made the 'mutual decision' to break up during the filming of The Amazing Race: All-Stars last December after 'fighting over too many little things'.

He said: 'The race showed us that the relationship wasn't as strong as we thought.'

The former lovers didn't talk for two weeks after, but keep in touch now.

Meanwhile, Sanchez - who has a new girlfriend - went on to admit that he would've preferred to join the All-Stars edition with his original Race partner Jeremy Ryan because 'he's a great competitor'.

The frat-boy slacker duo came in second to hippies BJ Averell and Tyler Macniven in the ninth season. It was also during then that Sanchez fell for Turner, one-half of a bosomy, blonde female team nicknamed 'the Double-Ds'.

But he said the producers, who found out he and Turner started dating after the season ended, picked her instead because 'they didn't want an alpha male team'. :lol3:

Sanchez said he was surprised to discover on the race 'how high-maintenance she was'.

He said: 'I always knew she was a girly girl who liked to shop, but she complained about everything the whole time.

'She didn't like some challenges and she would ask, 'Why am I doing this? Eric's a guy'. But other girls like Charla and Mirna and the beauty queens never complained once... That got me really mad and I wanted to tell her to shut up.'

On a positive note, Sanchez conceded Turner was 'really strong and did the tasks well'.

'Even though she always wanted to give up and was crying every day, she fought on,' he added.

No, I really think that luck played more of a role as to who should stay or leave. I think people blamed "karma" when something happened to them. When Danny and Ozwald got lost, it was their fault not karma. All they needed to do was get into a taxi and find the direction. That was just poor racing and bad luck. I don’t think the universe cares about The Amazing Race.

Earl was on Regis and Kelly this morning (and poor Regis.. didn't he have time after his surgery to watch Survivor.... stupid questions man....) (and Lakisha sang "and I'm telling you...." on this show and blew it big time.... not good at all)

*Even though Earl placed Kansas City, Kansas as his home town... he lives in Santa Monica, Cali.....*He is an Advertising EXECUTIVE.....*His main accounts are Honda and the California Lottery.....*A casting person from CBS approached him in a restaurant to see if he was interested in running THE AMAZING RACE!!!*Because a candidate dropped out of Survivor he was asked to take the spot TWO DAYS BEFORE the flight to Fiji. *Up to that time he had not followed Survivor.*Earls mom told him he owed her...?? And he is giving her a CHUNK of the winnings (i wouldn't ever say this to my kid... even if i thought it)

Oh they rarely cast by application now a days. Alex, he was found on myspace as well as James from Big Brother for example. And then you already know that Michele had tried out for Amazing Race and that BJ had tried out for Survivor. Then you all know the story about Erika Landin casting for Amazing Race and Survivor Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Dustin is helping with a World Vision Marathon (http://www.worldvision.org/donate.nsf/582cb1bdec5d4d44872570a00063a2e0/f44c00151b6cd2ca882572a3006d0f04!OpenDocument)--if she would register as needing sponsers--I'll bet she could rake in a lot! I'll bet we could make an RFF donation in her name if we wanted...

TVG: What are you guys up to now?Kandice: We’re both at turning points in our lives right now where we’re open to opportunities. I’m here in Canada at the moment, my finacé lives in Toronto. So I’m transitioning between here and New York right now. Dustin’s making a move to California, and the doors are kind of wide open.

And a comment from Mirna:

Quote

Like at one point they had $600 they had gathered which none of us could understand. We were begging for money because a lot of us didn’t have enough money to eat food, and I think they just did special things. I don’t know if that’s why Eric chose the language he did when they referred to him.

I'm really sorry, but Mirna really seems to pull some information out of her ass when giving interviews.

One morning after sleeping like the innocent or the dead, we came down to breakfast at the Serena Hotel, a luxurious chain of hotels owned by the Aga Khan, to find Phil Keoghan, the host of the ABC reality show "The Amazing Race," seated next to us. We instantly recalled spotting two blond women sailing along the coastline with a camera crew in the back of their dhow. And so it was confirmed, again a couple of days later by the pool, when we overheard another guest talking.

Would have been really nice to have had this info sooner, wouldn't it? :lol:

Winning halau on CBSThe Merrie Monarch Festival will get a bit of network television exposure when this year's overall champions, the kane of Halau I Ka Wekiu, will appear on a segment of "The CBS Early Show" around 8:30 tomorrow morning. A CBS news team, hosted by Phil Keoghan ("The Amazing Race"), collaborated with the Big Island Visitors Bureau and festival organizers to shadow the halau during last month's competition in Hilo.

Halau I Ka Wekiu swept the hula kahiko and hula 'auana competitions at the prestigious festival and was the overall winner in points, rare for an all-male halau.

Based in Honolulu, the halau's kumu hula are Karl Veto Baker and Michael Nalanakila'ekolu Casupang.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COMHalau I Ka Wekiu (kane) under the direction of kumu hula Karl Veto Baker and Michael Nalanakila'ekolu Casupang dance during the 'auana portion of the Merrie Monarch Festival hula competition. They swept the kahiko and 'auana and overall awards.

Apparently the CBS Emmy nominations have gone virtual--so you can WATCH THE EMMY NOMINATED EPISODES (http://thegreencampaign.com/) of your favorite shows here. Amazing Race included--see the two nominated episodes in their entirety!

It looks like my city is finally getting in on TAR cloning. Race/LA (http://www.racela.com/about.html) has the usual TAR equivalents (gridlock=Yield, etc.), but an interesting addition is "roadside assistance (http://www.racela.com/rules.html)": players can call for help, but each call is penalized 10 minutes at stops.

Chateau & Slowhatch!! peach and I will make you official rff t-shirts :yess: :happy:

eta: in other news

Phil Keoghan hand-picks Canadian adventurer Bruce Kirkby as the guide for the new CBC series "No Opportunity Wasted"Please visit www.noopportunitywasted.ca to watch a video of Phil Keoghanofficially welcoming Bruce Kirkby to "No Opportunity Wasted".

Not exactly all-stars, but I thought I'd put this here: Alex (TAR2) wants to bum (http://www.aroundtheworldforfree.com/) his way around the globe. If it's webcast-only, it might be interesting; if it's just another stab at reality tv, I think I'll pass.

Specifically, in the Omnibus Order, the Commission considered whether a momentary showing of the phrase "F#ck Cops!" written on the side of a train during an episode of "The Amazing Race 6" was indecent. The Commission found that the program was not indecent under the three principal factors that comprised the Commission's contextual analysis of this incident."

Here is an interesting summer challenge that I received from the MIT Online CourseWare project as a brain-teaser(but is really a geography quiz) that should be done from memory and without reference to any maps except those in your head:

A. Name the 5 African nations that touch the Mediterranean Sea, their capital cities, and their major rivers.

B. Name all Middle Eastern nations, their capital cities, and their major rivers.

I can tell you that this is difficult. I missed two African capitals, one entire Middle Eastern country(albeit a small one), and got two Middle Eastern capitals wrong and I consider myself a geogrpahy expert.

To check your answers and compute your score, go to http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east.html to find the two maps that will provide the information you will need.

Specifically, in the Omnibus Order, the Commission considered whether a momentary showing of the phrase "F#ck Cops!" written on the side of a train during an episode of "The Amazing Race 6" was indecent. The Commission found that the program was not indecent under the three principal factors that comprised the Commission's contextual analysis of this incident."

The reason this is a fairly forgotten TAR event is because after the episode aired, there was some minor viewer complaining at the time, but enough so that TAR edited the offending couple of seconds of footage so that it's not seen again in subsequent showings in reruns and syndication.

More Keoghans Heros this Monday on the Early Show..wonder if Phil is the guest ?

8:37 SEGMENT ELEVEN - KEOGHAN'S HEROES PT. 4: This summer, Phil Keoghan of theAmazing Race is on a mission to find people who live life with real passion.This week, he's found someone who's actually lived several lives, with more onthe way. Don't miss our special guest!

More Keoghans Heros this Monday on the Early Show..wonder if Phil is the guest ?

8:37 SEGMENT ELEVEN - KEOGHAN'S HEROES PT. 4: This summer, Phil Keoghan of theAmazing Race is on a mission to find people who live life with real passion.This week, he's found someone who's actually lived several lives, with more onthe way. Don't miss our special guest!

that would be awesome he usually talks about going out on there before filming another season